


Saving Faces

by muses_circle, xtremeroswellian



Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [10]
Category: Smallville, Supernatural
Genre: 33.1, F/M, Friendship, Intentionally making people jealous, JLA - Freeform, Jealousy, Rescue Mission, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muses_circle/pseuds/muses_circle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Two teams unite to take down one of the Luthor's 33.1 facilities.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivaan & Sam Winchester, Chloe Sullivan & Clark Kent, Chloe Sullivan & Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan & Sarah Blake, Chloe Sullivan/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Oliver Queen & Chloe Sullivan, Sarah Blake/Sam Winchester
Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722754
Kudos: 1





	Saving Faces

Chloe snorted at the sign that read Welcome to Lexville as they drove past it. "Arrogant son of a bitch," she mumbled. 

Dean gave her a sideways glance, amused. "I thought that was my title," he replied. 

"No your title is _Chloe's_ arrogant son of a bitch," she said as a smile quirked her lips involuntarily. 

Sarah stifled a giggle from the backseat, though her eyes were kept firmly fixed on the desert scene out the window.

Dean laughed, clearly amused. "That's my girl," he replied with a grin. He was surprised at her change in demeanor, even though he wondered sometimes if she and Sam still carried on their mental conversations. "So got any bright ideas on how to take this bastard home?" 

"We could just kill him," she mumbled, her head aching as she rubbed her eyes warily. 

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise, turning to look at Sarah and then meeting Dean's gaze in the rearview mirror. 

"As fun as that sounds," he replied, looking at Sam, "you know that's not gonna happen, Chlo."

"I don't know," Sarah replied, not looking at anyone. "I kinda like Chloe's idea." Anything to keep him from getting his grubby hands on Sam. 

Chloe glanced at Sarah briefly, knowing she was every bit as worried about Sam getting caught as Dean was. 

"We don't kill people," Sam said softly, staring out the window. 

"Not even people who wanna use you as a lab rat?" Sarah asked softly, casting a backwards glance at Sam.

"Sarah," Dean cautioned, "that's not going to happen." He looked at Chloe, a determined gleam in his eyes. 

She looked back at him, feeling uneasy. In addition to her fears for Sam and Dean, deep down she was also afraid because she knew after that article she'd written, the Luthors would be out for blood. Hers. And if they couldn't get her, they were bound to go after the people she cared about. Her dad, Lois, Lana, Clark. Her mother. Swallowing hard, she looked out the windshield. 

Sam heard a few stray thoughts run through his mind and knew they were coming from Chloe. He sighed and said nothing, though he wished she would speak these fears out loud.

Dean felt the sudden tension in the car and pulled over to the side of the road. Putting the Impala in park, he let the engine idle as he turned to look at her. "Hey, you're going to be okay," he stated with determination. "No one's going to get you."

"I know," she murmured. "I gotta make a call and I bet everyone needs to stretch their legs anyway. You guys mind?" She glanced back at Sam and Sarah in the backseat, and then at Dean. 

"Might as well," he replied, shutting off the engine and getting out without further comment.

Sarah nodded. "Who you gonna call?" She blushed when she saw Sam and Chloe give her a strange look. 

Chloe managed a faint smile. "Gonna check on things back home." She climbed out of the passenger seat and pulled her cell phone from her pocket, dialing Lois' phone number and moving away from the car. 

Sarah smiled and got out of the car, stretching her legs and arms and walking away to make a short trek into the desert while waiting for Chloe.

Watching Sam get out of the car, Dean whispered, "How you doing?" 

"I'm all right." He looked at his brother intently. "Looking forward to shutting the Luthor's down once and for all." 

"Think that's possible?" he asked, seeing in Sam's eyes a determination he rarely saw, if ever. It was almost as if he wouldn't stop until they were truly out of the picture. 

"It has to be." 

He clapped an arm on his brother's shoulder. "Then we'll make it happen," he replied with a confidence he didn't feel. "In the meantime, aren't you gonna go talk to Sarah?" 

"Somehow I don't think Sarah wants to talk to me right now," he said quietly. 

"Nice," he groaned, watching the brunette walk around in circles. "So it's my turn to watch you two mope and brood." He smirked in frustration. 

"Maybe you should go check on Chloe," he suggested. 

"Maybe you should go check on Sarah," Dean shot back, rolling his eyes as he walked over to where Chloe stood, her voice soft as she spoke to someone on the other line. 

"How are things there?" 

Lois laughed. "It's Snoresville, Chlo. How do you think things are?" 

"Even with the Luthors out of jail?" 

Lois grew quiet for a moment. "Their hot-shot lawyer got them out really quickly. Too quickly." She sighed. "I haven't seen them here. I have no idea where they are, Chloe." A worrisome thought occurred to her. "Be careful, okay?" 

A faint, wry smile touched her lips. "You too, Lois. How's everyone else doing? Lana? My dad?" She paused for a few seconds. "Clark?" 

"Lana's doing pretty well, considering what she's been through," Lois replied, her voice a little sad. "She's shacking up at the Talon and is trying to get back into Met U. I think she's trying to move on with her life. Your dad's fine, too. He misses you... how come you didn't see him when you were in town?" 

"Missed him actually. Tried to stop by and he was away on business." She let out a breath, feeling tired and missing her family. 

"You should call him, Chlo. Really. He misses you." Lois paused again, this time for several moments. 

"Yeah. I will," she said softly. 

"Good." Again, a pause. "Uh, I don't know how to tell you this, so... I'm just gonna come out and say it." 

Oh that doesn't sound good, she thought, her body tensing a little. "Okay..." 

"Clark's disappeared, Chloe." 

She opened her mouth to respond, and for a moment she couldn't breathe. "What do you mean, disappeared?" 

"I mean... he's just... gone," Lois replied. "He didn't even tell Martha where he went. He just up and left, shortly after you and your boys breezed through town." There was obvious concern in her voice, though Lois would never admit that. 

Her mouth went dry. "Was this before or after the Luthors were exonerated, Lois?" 

Lois thought for a moment. "The next day, actually. Chloe, why did you ask that?" 

"Lois, I'll call you back soon, okay? I gotta go." Without giving her cousin a chance to respond, she hung up the phone, her heart pounding. 

Dean walked up to her, noticing her distressed look and knew whatever it was couldn't be good. "What's happened?" he asked, turning her around to face her. 

Chloe swallowed hard, not answering for a moment. "Clark's missing." 

"Missing?" he asked, frowning. "How's that possible? How do you know he didn't just take off like the crazy alien he is?" 

"Because that's not Clark. Well, except that one time." 

He shook his head. "Okay, not touching that... So where do you think he's gone?" 

"I'm not sure he left voluntarily. He disappeared the day after Lex and Lionel were released." There was fear in her eyes. 

"Shit," he muttered, pulling her into his arms, "you don't think he went... after them, do you?" 

She swallowed hard again, curling her arms around him. "What if they have him?" 

He chuckled as he felt her hold him tightly. "Somehow, I doubt it, if he's as powerful as you say," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "But if they do... we'll get him out. I promise." Because he still means a lot to you, he thought. And he'd do anything for her. 

"Clark's...he's not completely invincible," she admitted in a whisper. 

"No?" he asked, wondering how a man built like Clark Kent could possibly have a weakness. 

Chloe pulled away to look at him and shook her head slowly. "No." Her face was pale. 

He put his hands on her cheeks. "What's his weakness, then... besides Lana Lang, I mean?" 

She closed her eyes for a moment. "The meteor rocks...they make him sick. Really sick, Dean. If he's around them too long...it could kill him," she whispered. 

Dean glanced at Sam, then at Sarah, who both looked lost in their own little worlds. He then focused on her pale, frightened face. "How?" he asked her, a little more than confused. 

"I'm not sure exactly. They're...from his home planet." Her voice was barely audible. "They zap him of his life-force." 

"Okay, that's weird. Damn weird," he muttered, putting a hand to her chin and lifting her face to make her look at him. "Chlo, I told you, no matter what... we'll find him, okay?" He leaned down and kissed her softly. 

Closing her eyes, she returned the kiss. He was right. If Clark was in trouble, they'd find him. 

They had to. 

&&&&&

Chloe slowly climbed out of the backseat of the Impala and looked at the hotel that Dean had stopped at. It was a little bit too fancy and too big to be out in the middle of the desert. Which meant it was likely owned by Lex Luthor. She glanced over at the others. "Sarah, don't use your card here," she said quietly. 

Staring at the front of the hotel, Sarah nodded. "Yeah, not a good idea," she said. "You think this belongs to a Luthor?" 

A grim smile touched her lips. "Given the size and luxury, I'd say yes." She started to say something else when she saw a familiar figure a few yards away. Her eyes widened a little. "No way," she whispered, turning and heading over toward him without explanation. 

Getting out of the car, Dean noticed Chloe take off around the corner and disappear. "Where the hell's she going?" he demanded, looking at Sam and Sarah. 

"No idea," Sam said, looking confused as he watched her go, as well. 

He had been checking out the plant, trying to determine the best tactical space to enter the 33.1 plant and destroy it. What Oliver Queen didn't expect to see was Lois's cousin approaching him. "Chloe?" he asked, clearly confused. 

"Oliver Queen." A smirk touched her lips. "Long time, no see." 

"Ms. Sullivan," he replied with a faint smile. "Gotta say, I didn't expect to see you out here." He looked around quickly, glancing at her. "Look, I can't talk here... but I'd love to know why you're near this plant." 

"We're getting some rooms at the hotel. And my guess you're here for the same reasons we are." She looked at him meaningfully. 

He smiled secretively. "33.1... Watchtower?" 

A grin spread across her face. "See you soon, Arrow." 

With a finger over his lips, Oliver crept off into the shadows of the hotel and seemed to disappear before her eyes.

Dean appeared suddenly from the front of the building, his eyes filled with concern and curiosity. "Hey, you find something back here?" 

Smile still on her face, she turned to look at him. "You could say that. Come on. Let's get some rooms." 

He tossed a plastic key in her direction. "Already did that. Paid cash on Sarah's urging. Got three rooms... just in case." He indicated towards the key and gave her a look. 

She smirked. "Just in case, huh?" She moved past him, amusement twinkling in her green eyes. 

He followed, laughing. "Now who's got only one thing on her mind?" he asked, amused and happy they were finally on the same wavelength. They walked back to the Impala, where Sam and Sarah were getting their things out of the trunk. Dean noticed neither of them looking at each other and being careful not to get near each other. He sighed. His brother needed to get over his hang-up, he cringed inwardly. 

Sam's eyebrows furrowed a little and he glanced in Chloe's direction as she grabbed her things. He wondered who the hell Oliver Queen was. 

Dean noticed the strange look on Sam's face and frowned. The way he was looking at Chloe could only mean one thing: he'd read her mind. It was probably an accident, but it still bothered him, nevertheless. He yanked his bag out of the trunk and headed for the room he and his brother would share.

Likewise, Sarah had noticed the look, but at this point, she almost didn't care. It wasn't like Sam would ever actually tell her what was on his mind. Not now, not ever, she thought miserably. History had a funny way of repeating itself. She headed for the room she'd paid for her and Chloe. 

Chloe set her bag on the floor and glanced at Sarah with a small smile. "I think this whole thing might go a bit more smoothly than I first thought." 

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, setting her things onto the bed and sitting down, rubbing her scalp tiredly. 

Her smile slipped a little. "You okay?" 

She smiled faintly. "Physically? Yeah." 

She drew in a breath and moved to sit beside her friend. "You know what I think?" 

Sarah glanced at the blonde next to her but said nothing. She really wanted to sleep; she really wanted Sam. Well, one out of two wasn't bad, she thought with an inward smirk. 

"I think you and I need a girl's night. Just us." 

She laughed a little. "I've been around the guys so much, I've forgotten what that was like, just hanging with the girls." She smiled at Chloe. "I like that idea." 

"All right. So maybe we steal the Impala...go find some of the richest, best ice cream around and watch Steel Magnolias." She grinned. 

"Make that ice cream with lots of chocolate and you're on." Feeling a little more energetic, she stood up. "You wanna get the keys from Dean?" She knew Sam probably didn't want to see her, so Chloe car napping the Impala would be better. 

"Definitely." She winked at her friend. "Be right back." 

Sarah watched Chloe leave the room and smiled a bit wider. Thank God for girl friends, she thought, standing up and grabbing her purse to leave. 

&&&&&

Two hours later, Sarah found herself plopped on the bed, eating a large container of Rocky Road ice cream and watching Steel Magnolias. "Dude, this is great," she said between bites of ice cream. "Probably the best chick flick ever... and I love this stuff!" She looked over at Chloe and grinned contentedly. 

Chloe grinned back and dug her own spoon into her container of Moose Tracks. "One of my favorite movies." 

"This movie makes me appreciate what I have," she replied, laughing at the antics of two of her favorite characters. 

"I could never get Pete or Clark to watch this with me." 

She laughed hard. "That's because they're guys, Chloe. None of them get this kind of thing..." Her words trailed off as she remembered the last time she watched this movie. "Funny, I haven't seen this movie since... Heh. It’s been awhile." 

"Since when?" she asked curiously. 

"Since... Scott decided to dump me," she said softly, looking down at her ice cream. 

Chloe was quiet for a moment, then she picked up the remote and hit the pause button. "Scott?" 

"My ex," she replied, looking over at Chloe. "We were together for over a year... until he decided we'd be better off friends. Told me we should..." She took a deep breath and let it out. "... 'take a step back' from our relationship." 

She flinched, sticking her spoon in the ice cream and suddenly having great desire to kick Sam Winchester's ass. "Ouch. That's harsh," she whispered. 

"No kidding," she replied, almost smiling at the thought of how devastated she had been at the time. "I loved him, and I guess he... didn't. Then when my mom died, I... I just went into myself, ya know?" 

Chloe's eyes were sad. "That must have been really hard." 

"It was," she whispered, looking down. "Mom had been sick for awhile, and he knew I needed him... Funny, I never counted on history repeating itself." She took another large bite of her ice cream and sighed sadly. 

Her heart sinking even more, she wound an arm around Sarah's shoulders and leaned her head against her friend's. "Can I let you in on a secret?" 

Sarah laughed softly. "You have a lot of those, don't ya?" 

She smiled a bit. "I think it's time to make Sam... realize what he's missing out on." 

Her heart sank. "I think he knows, Chloe. He's not interested," she protested quietly. She pulled away and looked at Chloe, a question burning in her eyes despite her words. 

Chloe grinned. "Oh he's interested, Sarah. You just need to up the stakes a bit." 

She blushed a little. "Sounds like a poker game," she replied with a wry smile. "Though... he's still interested? I mean, I know he knows how I feel, and what he told me, but..." 

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What exactly are you asking?" 

"I wish I knew, Chlo. Sam hasn't really spoken to me since he found out about his potential origin, and I've been giving him space, but he just keeps... backtracking. How can I up the ante if he's too busy backpedaling?" 

"We'll make sure he can't back peddle anymore." A grin spread across her lips. "Come on, let's go through our clothes." 

She reluctantly got up. "Is this payback for making you wear that outfit when Dean was drooling all over that Jo girl?" she asked, a worried smirk on her face. 

A short chuckle escaped her. "You didn't make me. You just suggested it." 

Opening the closet, Sarah frowned at the lack of variety in her wardrobe. "So what... you're telling me the same thing?" 

"Sort of. Plus a night on the town where Sam just happens to show up by coincidence." 

A smile spread across her face. "A night on the town alone until he shows up?" She cocked an eyebrow at Chloe, whose eyes betrayed the scheme she was cooking up. 

"Who said it was alone?" She flashed her friend a mischievous grin. She looked through the closet and then moved to her own. "Oh, this is perfect." She handed Sarah her black shirt. "Start with this." 

"Black is good," she replied, searching for the short, skimpy black skirt she knew she had brought along... just in case. "Who are you trying to set me up with, girl?" 

That was a good question. She tilted her head to one side. "I have a feeling you and A.C. would hit it off well." 

"Ah hah," Sarah said, finding said skirt and pulling it out. She then paused and threw Chloe a strange, confused look. "Who's A.C.?" 

Chloe grinned. "A friend who happens to be in town...with...some other friends." She winked at Sarah and headed for the bathroom. "Be right back." 

"Okay, vague much?" she asked herself, giddy at the thought of getting Sam's attention again, though she wondered who could possibly be out here in the middle of nowhere with them. She started rummaging through her suitcase for appropriate undergarments. 

Ducking into the bathroom and closing the door, Chloe pulled her cell phone out and dialed a number, pressing the phone to her ear, waiting for Oliver to pick up. 

Holed up in a secret room to get away from the noise of the rest of the Justice League members, Oliver smiled when he saw Chloe calling. "Hey Watchtower," he said when he answered the phone. "Didn't think it'd take you this long to call and berate me with questions." 

A grin spread across her face. "Actually I'm not calling for that...well, not just that anyway." 

"Oh?" he asked, trying to sound surprised. "This isn't just a business call?" 

"All work and no play makes Chloe a dull girl," she responded with a smirk. 

Oliver chuckled. "So what's on your mind, Chloe?" 

"You guys wanna grab some beers with me and a friend?" she asked casually. 

"Would this friend be female?" He glanced at the other room and saw Bart trying to weasel his way out of sentry duty as usual. 

"As a matter of fact...yes." 

"Well you know I'm in," he said immediately, his interest peaked. "Bart and Victor are busy tonight with... things, but I can bring A.C." 

"That sounds great." She grinned. "Since there's only one bar near here...see you in about an hour?" 

"Sure thing," he replied with a chuckle. "If I can get A.C. into some decent clothing, that is." 

"Or any at all," she responded with a smirk. 

He laughed. "He'll wear clothing if it means hanging out with a couple of beautiful women." 

Chloe grinned. "See ya soon." 

"Sure thing," Oliver said, smiling as he hung up. Going out into the other room, he worked on stopping the heated argument that had turned into a fight while getting A.C. into human clothes.

When Sarah saw Chloe leave the bathroom, a secretive smile on her face, she swallowed hard. "Who did you call?" she asked. 

"One of my friends that's in town." She laid a hand on her arm. "Relax. They're good guys. It's all gonna be fine." 

Swallowing hard again, she felt the butterflies in her stomach hit an all-time high. "Guess I need to get ready, then, huh?" She looked down at her clothing, a little unsure about this suddenly. 

Chloe nodded. "And I need to go have a quick talk with Dean. I'll be right back." 

"Okay," she replied with a nervous smile, grabbing her makeup and a brush and heading for the bathroom to change. 

A grin on her face, she headed next door and knocked. 

Dean answered the door, a cheesy grin on his face when he saw Chloe. "Finally," he whispered, leaning in and kissing her. "How's the girls' night out, and when's it gonna be over?" 

"Not for awhile." She pulled him outside. "Need your help with something. And not that." 

A wicked gleam entered his eye. "You sure about that? I'm more than willing to help." He nibbled briefly at her ear but pulled back. "Okay, what's up?" 

"I have a plan to get your broody brother off his ass and back with Sarah." She grinned mischievously. 

Dean's smile threatened to break his face in half. "About damn time," he growled. "Sam's driving me crazy with this self-imposed angst-fest. Does Sarah know what you've got cooked up?" 

"She's in on it. Sort of." She winked at him and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "I need you to have him at that bar at the edge of town in about...two hours." 

He smiled. "I can do that, Chloe, but... you gonna tell me what the deal is?" 

She grinned. "Let's just say we'll find out how your brother looks with the color green." 

"Oh, plan on making him jealous?" Dean asked, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "I'll have him there. Drugged or conscious, he'll be there." 

"Excellent." Winking again, she kissed him quickly before heading back to her room. 

Going back into his room, Dean looked at his brother lying face down on the bed and yelled, "Sammy, get your ass up. We're going out." He shut the door behind him, hoping Chloe could pull this off. He couldn't handle watching Sam and Sarah's distance anymore. 

&&&&&

Sarah looked down at her body and took a deep breath. She had tried getting the butterflies out of her stomach, but once they got to the bar, they increased ten-fold. "Maybe this isn't a good idea," she said, following Chloe inside, her voice hesitant and shy. 

"You'll be fine, I promise." Chloe linked arms with her and glanced around, spotting Ollie and A.C. at the bar, chatting. "Come on. There they are." 

Sarah followed her friend's gaze and saw two blonde, built, incredibly handsome men. Her mouth went a little dry as they wound their way towards them. "Those are your friends?" she whispered, seeing their eyes settle on her and flushing slightly.

Oliver smiled at Chloe's approach. "Would you look at her friend," he whispered to A.C., giving him a knowing look. 

"Wow," A.C. said with wide eyes, smiling at the girls. 

Oliver stood up and elbowed A.C. "Ladies, welcome," he called, a cordial smile on his face as he moved down to make room for them. "I'm Oliver Queen," he said to Sarah, offering his hand.

"Sarah Blake," she replied with a smile, noting his look of appreciation and basking for a moment.

He caught A.C. staring at Sarah and chuckled. "This is my friend, Arthur Curry," he said, letting her hand go and smiling at Chloe.

Chloe grinned and bit her lip. 

"Pleasure is all mine," A.C. told Sarah, kissing the back of her hand. 

Sarah bit back a laugh. "Does that line work on other women?" she asked, sitting down next to him. 

He looked at Oliver in confusion. 

"He doesn't get out much," Chloe whispered to her. 

She blushed but nevertheless stared at A.C. "What a shame for the female population at large." She glanced at Chloe, who was smirking at her.

"All work and no play makes A.C. a very dull boy," Oliver replied with a knowing laugh. 

Chloe smirked again and met Oliver's gaze. She nodded toward the corner of the bar. 

Oliver smiled and watched her head to the table. "We're gonna let you two crazy kids get... acquainted." He stood up and smiled.

A fleeting moment of panic hit Sarah, but she figured this Arthur looked like a nice enough guy. "Sure, Oliver," she replied, not taking her eyes off A.C. 

If anything, A.C. felt just as nervous. "Sarah's a very pretty name." 

She blushed harder. "Thanks, Arthur." She smiled shyly. "You gonna buy me a beer?" 

"Oh, yeah, of course." Grinning a little, he turned to the bartender. "A beer for the pretty lady." 

She giggled, relaxing a little as she crossed her legs. "You really don't get out much, do you?" she flirted. 

This time his cheeks flushed with heat. "That's...sort of an understatement." 

She thanked the bartender for her drink and took the bottle. "So, what do you do for a living?" She couldn't believe she was actually chatting up a total stranger, but at the same time, she needed this. It was better than sitting around, wondering if Sam Winchester wanted her or not.

***

Oliver sat across the table from Chloe and grinned. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked, a friendly, casual tone in his voice. 

"Pass, but thanks." She leaned across the table a little. "Have you heard from Clark?" 

A shadow fell across his face and he straightened up. "Is he why you're here?" he asked, getting down to business. 

"Not exactly." She gazed at him intently. "But he disappeared the day after the Luthors were released and no one's heard from him since." 

"That's because he's been working with us, Chloe... and Luthor has him in that factory nearby." 

She closed her eyes. "I was afraid of that." She let out a breath. "How long's he been in there?" 

"Only a day, but that's been way too long." Oliver glanced over at A.C., who seemed to be making some progress with her friend. "She's pretty," he commented offhand. "I think Fish Face likes her." 

She glanced over at them, nodding slightly and going right back to business. "So what's the plan? How are we getting him out?" 

"That's what Bart and Victor are working on now," Oliver replied, looking back at her and taking a long sip of his cocktail. "We snatched important schematics and documents from the facility itself, and it'll be fairly easy getting in. We haven't figured out where they're holding Clark yet." 

"Wherever it is, I'm sure there's plenty of green rocks to go around," she murmured worriedly, chewing on her thumbnail. 

"Chloe, we'll find him. I expect you're gonna help, right?" he asked with a knowing wry smile. 

"Yeah, but there's something you should know," Chloe said hesitantly. 

Oliver looked confused but said nothing. He waited patiently for her to respond. 

She leaned a little closer. "Sarah and I aren't alone here," she said quietly. 

"What do you mean, not alone?" he asked, a frown on his handsome face. 

"How much do you know about...paranormal activity?" 

"Not really my specialty, Chloe," he replied with a laugh. “Why, you telling me you've got some Ghostbusters along for the ride?" 

"More like the other way around," she informed him, dead serious. 

"You're serious," he commented, gazing at her. "Didn't think those people really existed." 

"Well..." She sat back in her chair, a smirk on her face. "I wouldn't call them Ghostbusters to their faces." 

He laughed. "Note taken. I guess these are guys we're talking about?" 

"You'd be correct, Sir." She smiled a bit. 

"Bullish? Pigheaded? Probably good-looking?" 

Chloe grinned. "Good adjectives for them." 

"And I'm guessing you're dating one of them." Oliver saw the way her eyes lit up at the mention of these two and just knew. He mentally rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah. The other is...a very good friend. Even if he does have his head up his ass at the moment." 

Oliver chuckled. "Oh, lemme guess..." He nodded at Sarah. 

She smirked. "You're battin' a thousand tonight, my friend." 

"What can I say?" he replied with a smirk. "It's my job to read people." 

Chloe shook her head a little, and felt something bristle in the back of her mind. Without thinking about it, she turned to see Sam and Dean standing just inside the bar. Show time, she thought. 

***

Dean pushed Sam inside the bar. "Come on, dude," he protested, "you need to unwind. I'm tired of your ticking time bomb attitude lately." 

"Dean, I'm not in the mood for the whole bar..." His voice trailed off as he saw Sarah sitting a few feet away, sitting very closely to some buff blonde guy. 

Dean followed Sam's gaze and settled on Sarah, looking quite the knockout in her slinky black outfit. He scanned the rest of the bar and found Chloe sitting with her own blondie. Frowning a little, he replied, "Huh, didn't know the girls would be here."

Laughing at the joke Arthur had just made, Sarah felt prickles of awareness on her skin and glanced back. She saw Sam and Dean in the bar, Sam staring at her like he had never seen her before. 

"Who's that guy?" Sam asked his brother, not looking away from Sarah. 

Dean chuckled. "Don't have a clue, Sammy. Why don't you go ask her?" He pushed his brother in Sarah's direction. 

Without needing further nudging, Sam made his way over. "Hey, Sarah," he said softly, gazing at her intently. 

"Sam," she said, eyes bright with laughter. "Didn't know you'd be here tonight." She couldn't fight the sensual smile that crossed her lips as she looked at him. 

"Well, that makes two of us." He shifted his gaze to A.C. "Who's your friend?" 

A.C. stuck his hand out. "Arthur Curry." 

"Sam Winchester." 

She felt an immediate tension between them and sighed. "Chill out, Sam. I'm just talking to Arthur." She rolled her eyes in amusement. 

&&&&&

Leaving Sam to his jealousy and apparent competition for Sarah's attention, Dean headed towards the booth where Chloe and another man sat. The way she was smiling at him... Dean shook his head, trying hard to keep his own jealous nature at bay.

"Hey babe," he called out, a lazy smirk on his face as her eyes settled on him. 

Chloe's eyes lit up at the sound of his voice and she rose to her feet, grinning at him. "Starting to think you forgot," she teased, kissing him lightly on the lips. 

"Like I'd forget the last time we were in a bar together," he whispered in her ear with a grin.

Oliver turned around and smirked. "You must be one of the ghost... hunters." 

She chuckled and slid her fingers through Dean's, turning to look at Ollie. "Oliver, this is my boyfriend, Dean Winchester. Dean, this is Oliver Queen." 

Oliver stood up and offered his hand, giving Dean the usual once-over. "Nice to meet you."

Eyeing Oliver warily, Dean shook his hand, his grip hard and insistent. "Oh no, pleasure's all mine." 

Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the blatant show of testosterone between the two men. "Pull up a chair, Dean," she said, gears shifting to business once more. 

Dean ignored her and slid in next to her, squishing her to him. "Why? I wanna sit next to my girl," he replied, throwing an arm around Chloe and glancing at Oliver.

Oliver laughed. "Don't worry, Chloe and I were actually talking business."

Sure, he thought, watching the blonde-haired man like a hawk. "What kind of business?" He looked over at Chloe. 

She gave him a look that clearly said they were going to have a talk later. "About Lex Luthor," she said grimly. Then her voice softened a little more. "And Clark." 

"What about them?" he asked, his voice low with concern. He glanced at Oliver, wondering who this guy actually was.

"Does he know about Clark and his...?" Oliver asked, nodding towards Dean. 

"He does," Chloe told him quietly, looking at the table for a moment. "Lex has Clark in the new lab." She swallowed hard, tucking some hair behind her ear. 

Dean leaned in and kissed her on the side of her head. "We'll get him back," he whispered softly so only she could hear. Looking at Oliver, he smirked. "What did the Wonder Boy do to get caught?"

He glanced over at Chloe uncertainly. "Actually, he snuck off in the middle of the night to scout out the plant. Probably got caught that way, if I could guess." 

"Sounds like Clark," she said wryly, though the worry was apparent in her eyes. She glanced sideways at Dean, and then back at Oliver. "The Luthors sure don't waste any time erecting new 33.1's when the old ones are destroyed or turned over to the authorities, do they?" 

Clearing his throat, Oliver whispered, "There's a lot of these plants scattered around the world. The JLA has been taking these down one at a time."

Dean snorted. "The JLA? What the hell does that stand for?"

"Justice League of America," he replied in even tones. 

"You have a name now." A smile touched her lips. "I like it." She was silent for a moment, resting her elbows on the table and looking lost in thought. 

Oliver nodded and smiled faintly. He knew she and Dean would probably be able to help them out. Looking at the rest of the crew, his face turned serious. "Uh, guys?" he asked, standing up suddenly.

"Hm? What?" Dean asked, following Oliver's stare. And shot up like he'd been zapped by lightening. Sam was in A.C.'s face, looking like he was going to knock him out cold. 

"Maybe this is working a little too well." Chloe quickly rose to her feet and followed Dean over to where Sam was standing, glaring at A.C. "Whoa there, big guy." She reached out and put a hand on his arm. 

"Sam, what the hell are you doing?" Dean demanded in a low growl. "You were just supposed to talk to the guy, not knock him out."

Sarah, meanwhile, had gotten out of the way, standing back and smiling a little too triumphantly. Somehow, she figured Arthur could take care of himself. 

"Stay away from my girlfriend," Sam told A.C. harshly, not backing away despite Chloe's restraining hand on his arm. "Don't make me tell you twice." 

"Dude, I didn't know she was taken," A.C. protested, smirking at the taller man who clearly had jealousy written over his face.

"Wait, I'm your girlfriend?" she whispered, her face paling suddenly at the implication.

"Sam," Dean said sternly, giving his brother a look. 

Taking a deep breath, Sam glared at A.C. a moment longer before pulling his arm away from Chloe and turning to head for the door. 

Chloe raised her eyebrows and grinned at Sarah knowingly. Her plan had worked like a charm. 

Grabbing her purse, Sarah smiled brightly at A.C. "Nice to meet you, Arthur," she said hurriedly before following Sam out the door. She flashed Chloe a triumphant smile as she did.

Oliver approached the group and patted A.C. on the back. "Better luck next time, Dolphin Boy."

Dean looked towards the door, knowing all too well how his brother got into moods, especially when a woman was involved. "Maybe I should --" 

"Go on. I'll be right there," Chloe promised, nodding slightly, amusement in her eyes. 

Kissing her quickly, he gave Oliver Queen another look before heading out the door behind Sam and Sarah.

"So, guess your plan worked, huh?" Oliver asked, an amused smile on his face. 

She grinned and looked at A.C. "Thanks. I owe ya one." 

"At least you coulda warned me," A.C. grumbled, though he was smiling. He got up and hit Oliver on the shoulder. "Bro, we got work to do."

"He's right," Oliver replied with a smile. "We'll meet up tomorrow, okay?" 

"You think Clark's okay, right?" Her voice was quiet, but her eyes were filled with fear. 

He smiled but couldn't quite meet her eyes. "We'll talk more tomorrow about that. We should have the info on that then. I'll contact you for a meeting place." He hugged her lightly. "Meantime, looks like you've got company." He saw Dean standing in the doorway, glaring at the two of them. 

Sighing inwardly, she nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then." She turned and headed for the door, giving Dean a look. 

"What? Sam's not speaking, Sarah's pacing outside... I was gonna wait for you," Dean said, smirking as he held the door open for her. 

"You know this whole thing was to make Sam jealous, not you," she informed him. 

"Who said I was jealous?" He saw Sarah getting into the backseat of the Impala, her face pale, behind Sam, whose face was long and dark. "Besides, mission accomplished." 

"Uh huh." She smirked and followed him toward the car. 

Once they were all in the car, Dean roared the Impala into life and sped towards the hotel. It was a tense and strange drive, no one saying a word.

Sarah was impatient to get Sam alone, so when they reached the hotel and saw Sam get out and slam the door behind him, she quickly followed. "Sam, wait," she called. 

"What?" he asked, his voice dull. He didn't turn to face her. 

Chloe took Dean by the arm. "Let's head to that third room." 

She saw Chloe and Dean take off out of the corner of her eye, but the dark look on Sam's face scared her, frankly. She followed him into his room and shut the door behind them. "I'm sorry," she whispered. 

He shut his eyes and ran a hand over his face, not responding. 

Crap, she thought painfully, taking another step towards him. All she wanted to do was get him to pay attention to her, and now it looks like she pushed him away. She looked down at her outfit and sighed. "Guess I really blew things," she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible. 

He let out a breath. "No. I'm the one who did that." 

She blinked in surprise. "Sam..." she started, reaching out a hand to comfort him. 

Sam slowly turned around to face her. "I pushed you away." 

The defeated look in his eyes made her weak kneed. She swallowed hard and blinked back her tears. "No you didn't," she protested quietly. 

"No? The whole taking a step back wasn't pushing you away?" There was self-loathing in his voice. 

Sarah kept his gaze. "I'm sure you had your reasons," she whispered. "Not like you've had an easy time lately." 

"And I haven't made it easy on anyone else either." He sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. 

Moving over to him, she sat down beside Sam and put a hand on his knee. "Hey, it's getting better, right?" she asked, trying to keep her tone hopeful. 

"I wanted to hurt that guy." 

She smiled. "Good." She delighted in the shocked look on his face when Sam stared at her. 

He stared at her for a moment. "Wait, you mean that was the plan?" 

Sarah colored and looked away. "Yeah. It's all Chloe's fault. I didn't believe her when she said you still... liked me." 

His mouth dropped open. "Sarah, I never..." He hesitantly put a hand to her cheek. "I love you," he whispered. 

She leaned into his touch. "I thought when you said..." She swallowed hard, unable to repeat those words she had heard too many times in her life already. 

Wordlessly he pressed his lips against hers, pulling her into his arms. 

For a second Sarah stiffened, not expecting Sam's movement, but she quickly relaxed, wrapping her arms around him as she kissed him back, her heart in that kiss. 

"I love you," Sam whispered again, swallowing hard and pulling away to gaze at her. 

Playing with his shaggy hair at the base of his neck, she whispered, "I love you, too, Sam. Never stopped." She pulled his head to hers and caught his mouth in another kiss. 

He closed his eyes, losing himself in her embrace. 

Her heart melted when Sam pulled her closer, their mouths melding together. Her hands smoothed down his chest and she pulled back, taking a breath. "You like my outfit?" she asked, her eyes lit with passion. 

A faint noise somewhere between a groan and a grunt escaped him. "God yes." 

She smiled and slid off the bed, spinning around for him. "Guess I made my point?" she asked with a laugh when he stood up and grabbed her, putting her on his lap. 

He slid his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers again, his fingers resting along the small of her back, beneath the material of her shirt. 

Her body broke out in goose bumps over his fingers stroking her lower back. She moaned into his mouth, their tongues dueling each other, and touched his chest. 

"Sarah," he whispered heatedly. 

"Sam," she whimpered, sliding her hands under his shirt and gasping at his taut stomach. 

He groaned at the feel of her hands on his bare skin, and he pressed his lips against her neck. 

She leaned back, eyes shut, as Sam kissed her neck, his mouth moving down while his hands wandered up her back. She was breathless with need and fumbled to pull his shirt up. 

He pulled away long enough to yank his shirt off over his head and discard it on the floor, gazing at her heatedly, breathing heavily. 

Her eyes followed her hands, which lightly ran across his chest. "You've been holding out on me," she whispered, surprised at the perfection of his long body. 

"I'm...not Dean," he admitted, gazing at her. 

Eyes twinkling, she shifted so she was straddling him, her skirt pushed up as far as it could go. "You're much more than he is," she whispered, pulling her to him and kissing him deeply once more. 

Sam swallowed hard, closing his eyes and kissing her like they'd been apart for years. 

Wrapping her body around him, she shifted in his lap and felt his body's answer to her kisses. It only urged her to kiss him longer, her lips trailing to his neck where she nibbled his collarbone. "I'm serious," she whispered between kisses. "Take you over anyone." 

He swallowed hard, breathing heavily once more. "Ditto," he whispered, sliding his hands through her hair. 

Sarah gently pushed Sam back onto the bed, following him. She pressed her body against his and looked into his eyes, an uncertain question in them. 

"God, I want to, Sarah." He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands resting on her hips. 

"But?" she whispered, kissing him gently and pressing her hips against his, which generated a sound she had never heard Sam Winchester utter before. 

He swallowed hard, trying to maintain control of his body. "But I'm afraid I'll hurt you," he admitted in a whisper. 

She kissed his neck and stroked his chest. "I know you won't," she protested, "but when it happens, I wanna make sure you're right there with me." Physically, she mused, he was already there. 

He slid a hand down to rest on the small of her back, kissing her softly once more. 

Reluctantly, Sarah kissed him back and scooted off him, positioning herself beside him so she could lean her head against his naked chest. Sighing, she splayed her hand across his stomach.

Sam closed his eyes, draping an arm over her. 

"I love you, Sam," she whispered, "but please... don't shut me out anymore, okay? I want to be with you and help you." She pressed a kiss to his chest. 

He drew in a breath. "Next time I shut you out...just...smack me." 

She laughed and looked up at him. "No, I think I'll kiss you," she whispered, emphasizing her words with a hot kiss on his mouth. 

He groaned softly. "That works, too." 

"Or maybe I should just go flirt with some hot blonde. Yeah, that worked this time." She sat up and looked down at him, eyes bright and teasing. 

He gave her a look. "Let's stick to the smacking or kissing," he said seriously. 

"Aw, you're no fun," Sarah replied, though she kissed him again in agreement. She then slid off the bed and looked around for one of his shirts to slip on. 

"Closet," he said softly, having heard her thought. 

Grinning, Sarah opened the closet and pulled out a dark button down. "It's so cool you can read minds," she said out loud, turning around and admiring his long-legged body sprawled on the bed, signs of his arousal still visible. She smiled knowingly. 

"Yeah, well, you have that effect on me," he said wryly, gazing at her intently. 

"Gonna have to take care of that sometime," she replied with a lazy smile, slowly unbuttoning her blouse as she spoke. 

"You're killing me," he groaned. 

She grinned. "You don't expect me to go scouting in this skimpy outfit, do you?" She shrugged out of her top and stared at him brazenly for a moment before reaching for his shirt. 

"Scouting?" he repeated, his gaze locked on her body. 

"Yeah, I thought you and I could go check out the facility, find places where the security is lax." The shirt remained in her hand as she watched him practically drool. "Unless you have a better idea..." 

He shut his eyes. He had better ideas all right. But she was right. They needed to focus on this case. 

Sighing in frustration, Sarah put on Sam's shirt and buttoned it up. "You can open your eyes now, Romeo," she replied wryly, rolling up the sleeves and looking around for his discarded shirt. 

"Trust me when I said it's not always easy to be a gentleman," he responded. 

Tossing his shirt at him, she jumped on the bed and looked down at him. "Here's hoping that stare of yours will prompt you to do those un-gentlemanly things you're thinking." She leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. 

He smiled at her, wryly. "We should tell Dean and Chloe where we're going?" 

"Something tells me they're a bit... busy," she replied, grabbing his hand and pulling him up to a sitting position. "Besides, at least we can get some tactical info to give them tomorrow." 

Sam shook his head. "All right. Let's go." He kissed her softly and rose to his feet. 

She stood too and couldn't stop staring at Sam stretching. The muscles in his arms and chest moved delightfully, making his stomach tight and the front of his jeans sag lower. Her eyes gleamed in anticipation and she licked her lips. 

"Stop that or we won't be getting out of this room," he warned softly. 

She stifled a giggle and turned her back to him, giving him the privacy to put his clothes back on and giving her a chance to calm herself down. "Can I help it if I appreciate what I see?" she asked, feigning innocence. 

Sam shook his head, pulling his shirt back on quickly. He made a mental note to thank Chloe later. 

&&&&&

Dean couldn't stifle the grin on his face as Chloe led him to the room he had gotten just for them. "I see someone's anxious to be alone," he replied with a smirk, watching her unlock the door. He snuck a glance at Sam and Sarah, who had gone into the guys' room and the grin got cheesier. 

She rolled her eyes. "Zip it back up, Romeo." She folded her arms across her chest and turned to look at him. 

"Smart ass," he retorted, slamming the door behind them and crossing his arms, his eyes dark and troubled. "Gonna tell me who the hell that was back there in the bar?" 

"Well I thought we made it through the introductions, but I guess you were too busy being jealous to notice. His name is Oliver Queen." 

"I got his name, Chloe... what was interesting was seeing you sitting with him alone. In the dark corner of a crowded bar." Where I should've been with you, he thought to himself with a grimace. "And I'm not jealous, just for the record." 

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "So that wasn't a death glare you were giving him before we left?" 

He shook his head, his eyes glittering with impatience. "Chloe, not a good time to whip out the sarcasm. Now I get why you needed me to drag Sam to that place, because clearly he needed his ass kicked, but..." He paused and scratched his head. "What exactly is this Oliver Queen involved with?" 

Sighing softly, she raked a hand through her hair and moved to sit on the bed. "You know Clark is...different." Her voice was quiet. 

He sat down next to her. "Yeah, different." He knew all too well just how different he was: Chloe loved him first. Didn't matter he was a freaking alien. 

"He's also sort of...Smallville's own superhero. And...sometimes Metropolis' too." She paused. "It's something he and Ollie have in common." Her voice was soft. 

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Wait, so you're telling me Oliver Green's like Clark? Some kind of... super human or something?" 

"Queen," she corrected. "And, not exactly. As far as I know Ollie's human like us. But...he's also sort of like you and Sam. Not exactly a hunter, but a fighter of injustice." 

"Oh, so that means I'm supposed to like him?" Dean shot back teasingly and smiled. "I take it he's not into the creepies we take out." 

"No. He's more of a..." She tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Robin Hood type." A faint smirk appeared on her face. "He fights the human criminals. Like Lex Luthor." 

"Great, another guy with a God complex," he muttered under his breath, looking away for a moment. Despite that, however, it was nice to see a human being trying to fight off the evil ones. He sighed. "So Oliver can help us take down Lex? Because apparently, we didn't do it right the first time?" He ran a hand through his hair. 

"Second time," Chloe said softly, looking down at the floor. 

The second time? he thought, his sharp eyes darting back to her down turned face. "Wait, you're saying you've taken on this guy once before?" 

She rose to her feet and slowly began to pace the room. "A few weeks before...we met...we sort of found out where 33.1 was. It was in a large warehouse in Metropolis. We infiltrated it and...blew it sky high." She turned to look at him. "It didn't keep the Luthors from moving it to the place where you, Sam and I broke in." 

"I don't know, Chloe. If this has happened twice and they're still setting up shot somewhere else, maybe this is all a mistake." Dean's eyes followed her as she paced across the room. He couldn't believe he was telling her this, but at the same time, he sure as hell didn't want Sam in that lab. No telling what Luthor would do to him. 

She turned to face him. "I get why you're scared, Dean. And if you and Sam and Sarah wanna take off and get away from here to keep Sam safe, I get that." Her voice was quiet. "But Lex has Clark. And I'm not leaving here until he's out of there." 

"Then we're not leaving," he replied in a low voice. "Because there's no way I'm leaving you." His eyes connected with hers and held the troubled green gaze. 

Chloe drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Ollie's going to call me in the morning with the plan." 

He nodded with a smirk. "His nickname's Ollie?" 

She rolled her eyes. "And by the way you have no reason to be jealous." She gave him a look. 

Dean took her hands and pulled her against him, forcing her into his lap. "Who says I'm jealous? I mean, the dude's name is... Ollie." He snickered as he wrapped his arms around her. 

"And also? He's in love with Lois," she informed him, sliding her arms around his neck and gazing at him intently. 

"Even better," he whispered, leaning into her and brushing his lips against hers softly. 

Chloe kissed him softly, then leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes, her body tense with worry. 

"It's gonna be okay," he whispered, watching her closed eyes and knowing the thoughts behind them. "We'll get him out, and it'll all be... okay." He tightened his embrace. 

Swallowing hard, she rested her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his embrace. She just hoped he was right. 

&&&&&

Chloe barely slept that night. She was tense and worried and she couldn't stop thinking about Clark, possibly being tortured at the hands of Lex Luthor, or any of his minions. She'd lay in bed, trying to lay as still as possible so as not to keep Dean awake, but he seemed to sense her restlessness because every time the thoughts got to be too much, his arms would tighten around her and she'd feel his lips press lightly against the back of her neck. Now as they'd both given up on the thought of sleep, they'd showered and gotten dressed even at the early hour of 5 a.m., waiting on Oliver's call. She slowly paced the floor of the room, occasionally chewing on her thumbnail nervously. 

Fumbling for the coffeemaker, Dean mused with a loud yawn just how watching Chloe was enough to wake him up. Her nerves were obviously frayed beyond the point of rational thought. "Chloe," he whispered, making a pot of coffee, "it's way too early in the morning for that." He looked at her movement and tried to smile. 

"Hmm?" She turned to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. 

He was about to speak with he heard a loud knock on the door. Sam, he thought. No one else pounded on a door quite like that. He opened it and found his brother and Sarah on the other end, both looking nearly as tired as they were. He smiled faintly, seeing Sam's shirt dwarfing her small frame. His eyebrows shot up suggestively in Sam's direction. 

He rolled his eyes but there was a faint smirk on his face. "Hey. We just got back from the facility." 

Chloe whirled around, her eyes wide. "You what?" 

Ignoring Chloe and Dean's shocked faces, Sarah looked at Sam and stepped through the door. "Yeah, been doing a little recon," she replied, trying to keep the sleeves of Sam's shirt rolled up.

"Was this before or after the musical clothing number?" Dean asked, only slightly amused as he glared at his brother. What the hell was he thinking? he grumbled to himself. 

Sam glared back at him. "Really not the point." He turned to look at Chloe. "We found a way in to the place." 

Nodding, she moved closer to the rest of the group, gazing at him intently, and then at Sarah. "What kind of security are we talking about?" 

Sarah sighed. Your brother's a real perv, she thought, glancing at Sam before focusing on Chloe. "The works. Everything from heat sensor trips to sniper shooters. I've never seen anything like it, Chloe."

Dean's gaze strayed from Sarah to Chloe and he frowned. "But you said you found a way in?" he asked, looking at Sam and Sarah again. 

Sam smirked at Sarah's thought, then grew serious once more. "Unfortunately it's pretty heavily guarded, too." 

Chloe closed her eyes briefly, forcing herself to take a deep breath. It was a damn good thing for Clark that Ollie, Bart and A.C. were there, as well. Because she had a feeling their special abilities would give them an advantage. 

Taking a step towards her friend, Sarah's eyes furrowed. "What is it?" she whispered, looking at Chloe intently.

Dean looked at Chloe and put a hand in hers. "We've got bigger fish to fry than just worrying about Luthor getting his hands on Sam." He stared at Sarah intently, seeing Sam's surprised face. 

"Lex has Clark in there," Chloe whispered, finally opening her eyes once more. 

Sam stared at her. "What?" 

"He and some of our other friends...were here to shut down 33.1. But something went wrong and...Clark's inside somewhere." She swallowed hard. 

Sarah frowned. "Does anyone know where he is?" She glanced over at Sam and moved close to him, a cold chill of fear racing through her. 

"Oliver and the others were hoping to have the schematics by today. He's supposed to call with the plan." Her voice was quiet. 

Sam slid an arm around Sarah's waist, reading the fear in Chloe's eyes. 

Dean reached over and pulled Chloe into his arms, kissing the top of her head. Boy, he could cut the tension with a knife, he thought to himself, watching the uncertainty and fear in Sam and Sarah's eyes, two emotions he knew little about but seemed to experience all too much.

So when Oliver Queen called Chloe's cell, all four of them jumped a little in surprise. 

She quickly pulled away from Dean, grabbing her cell phone off the table and pressing it to her ear. "Sullivan," she answered, all-business. 

"Good morning Watchtower," Oliver said on the other line, his voice emotionless. "If you guys are ready, I have a meeting point for you." 

"Ready and waiting," she responded, her heartbeat speeding up. 

"It's a mile from your hotel," he explained briefly. "Look for a sign that says 'Critters R Us'. We've set up shop in that abandoned building." 

"What time?" Chloe glanced at her friends, storing the information in her mind. 

"One hour," Oliver replied quickly. "We're going to get Clark out of there. Today."

Sam smiled faintly, having dropped the mind barrier between Chloe and him to hear her thoughts on the conversation. 

Relief swept over her. "We'll be there." 

Oliver's chuckle held the smile that was on his lips. "Guess I need to start thinking up more code names, huh?" 

A faint smile tugged at her lips. "That's probably a good idea." 

Dean cocked an eyebrow as she shot him an amused look. He grumbled under his breath.

"One hour. See ya." Oliver hung up without waiting for a response. 

Chloe hung her phone up as well and turned to face them once more. "One hour. There's a place about a mile from here where we're supposed to meet them." 

"Them?" Sarah asked, casting a doubtful glance at Chloe. 

She managed a faint smile. At this point Sam and Sarah finding out everything was inevitable and unavoidable. She may as well tell them. Letting out a breath and feeling uneasy with what she was about to say despite the necessity, she moved to perch on the edge of the table. "Oliver, A.C., Victor and...Bart." 

Coloring a little, she whispered, "A.C.? As in... Arthur Curry?" Her eyes grew wide.

Dean smiled. "I hope these guys have the same kind of... powers... that Clark has." 

"Different ones, actually." The startled looks on Sarah and Sam's faces made her wince. 

"Wait, hang on a minute," Sam replied, keeping a firm hold on Sarah's waist. "All these guys have powers?" His heart sunk a little when he realized the guy he wanted to throttle the night before probably could have kicked his ass into eternity. 

"Yes. Including Clark." Her voice was soft. "But, like I said...they're all different. A.C....well, he's an excellent swimmer." A faint smile touched her lips. "Victor's part machine. Bart..." She grinned at the thought of Bart. "Is the fastest man on earth." 

Dean rolled his eyes. "Gee, did you date Bart, too?" he asked, his voice a growl.

Clearing her throat, Sarah whispered, "Yeah, I'm gonna... go take a shower." She pulled out of Sam's warmth and headed for the door. 

"Too?" She turned to look at Dean, frowning. "I never dated any of them." Not for lack of trying on Bart's part, she thought. 

Turning on his heel, Sam chuckled at Chloe's thought before following Sarah out of the room.

"Good, because meeting Clark was downright awkward," he grumbled, kissing the top of her head possessively. 

She shook her head a little in amusement, sliding her arms around his waist. "How many times do I have to tell you that you have nothing to worry about?" She gazed up at him. "I love you." 

"Hey, can I help it if I'm a little... protective of the people I love and care about?" he muttered, holding her tightly. 

"Do you trust me?" 

"You know I do," he growled, pulling her back to look into her eyes. 

"Then trust me when I tell you...I'm with the only person I wanna be with. Ever." Her voice was quiet. 

His smile broad and complacent, Dean touched his lips on hers. "Ditto on that," he whispered after a long moment. 

A soft smile touched her lips. "Good to hear." She kissed him softly again, placing her hands on either side of his face. 

Dean's hands settled on her hips, pulling her closer as he deepened their kiss for a moment. "Dammit," he whispered, breaking off after a moment. "Not like we have a lot of time for this." He kissed her hotly again. 

"We will," she whispered, reluctantly pulling away. "After Clark is safe and the Nevada branch of 33.1 is destroyed." 

Sighing, he looked at the pot of coffee and grabbed it. It was gonna be a long day, he thought, pouring two cups of strong coffee for them both. 

&&&&&

Dean pulled the Impala up to the building Chloe had described to them. "Insane ass place to hide your operation," he muttered, shutting the engine off and getting out. 

Ignoring his remark, she climbed out of the passenger seat, laptop in tow. Her lips were set in a grim, determined line as she headed for the front door of the shop. 

Sam drew in a breath and glanced sideways at Sarah. "You ready?" 

She swallowed audibly, looking nervously at him. "Yes," she whispered, gripping his hand tightly. She wasn't sure which was more nerve-wracking: infiltrating a tightly secured area to rescue a friend... or trying to keep Sam from beating up the guy she'd been hitting on the night before. 

"I won't beat him up," he said with a wry smile. "Unless he touches you...and then all bets are off." He gave her a look. 

"Then I'll just make sure he doesn't touch your girlfriend," she whispered with a sly smile. She then got out of the backseat and followed Chloe and Dean inside. 

A smile on his face, he followed her, as well. 

Chloe stepped into the rundown shop and smiled faintly at the team. "Hey, boys." 

"Watchtower," Oliver replied, a civil smile on his face. He offered Dean his hand.

Dean shook the blonde's hand, his face devoid of emotion. He saw the crew of guys standing behind him and asked, "So what's with the Nerd Squad?"

Bart Allen stepped forward and gave Chloe the once over. "Hey, if it isn't my Chloelicious. Long time, girl."

Sarah rolled her eyes at the small brunette's come-on but blushed a little when she saw A.C. looking her way. 

Chloe offered Bart a wry grin. "Bart, this is my boyfriend, Dean Winchester. Dean, this is Bart Allen." 

"Nice to meet you... Bart." Dean shook Bart's hand, squeezing it hard.

"Hey, my bad," he replied with a flirtatious smile. "Couldn't help myself. She's my favorite blonde."

"Apparently," Dean replied with a low growl.

"Okay, can we get down to business?" Oliver butted in, getting down to business. 

Chloe couldn't help but grin momentarily before deflecting her attention to Oliver. "What's the plan?" 

Sam moved a little closer, eyeing the four men warily. 

Oliver thumbed towards Bart. "Impulse is gonna break into the place and bypass the main security system to basically the back door."

"The one that opens to the nearest field?" Sarah asked, taking a step forward but sticking to Sam.

Oliver nodded and eyed Sarah warily. "Yes, that one. How do you know about that?" 

"We did an all night stake-out," Sam informed him. 

Chloe shifted her gaze to Victor and A.C. "What about you guys?" 

"They've got a plan to get Boy Scout out," Oliver replied with a small smirk. "Way I figure, he's holed up in a room walled with kryptonite."

Dean frowned but eyed Oliver and the others. "Boy Scout?" 

"Clark," Chloe answered, not looking at him. "What about us?" she asked anxiously, needing to be in on this. 

Sam winced a little at the intensity of the fear in her thoughts. He drew in a breath and pushed her thoughts out of his mind. 

Oliver smiled gently and put a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the look he got from Dean. "You're our Watchtower, Chloe. Our eyes. We're gonna need you for that." He looked over at Sarah. "You and Sarah, maybe? I know we could use these guys to infiltrate the place."

"Hell yeah," Dean muttered under his breath. "Show me where to go and what to shoot." 

She forced herself to take a deep breath. "Alright. When are we moving in?" 

"As soon as humanly possible," he replied, grabbing two headsets and tossing them towards Chloe. Eyeing Dean and Sam, he said, "Gear up, you two. Got some stuff over there for ya." He indicated towards bullet-proof suits and more kinds of weapons than one could imagine.

Sarah looked at the small arsenal and physically shook with panic. "Sam, don't go," she whispered towards him. 

His eyebrows furrowed as he turned to look at her. "I'll be okay," he whispered back, sliding his arms around her and pulling her close. 

Chloe drew in a breath and let it out slowly, feeling uneasy, as well. She looked at Dean. 

"Chloe," Dean whispered, pulling her into his arms. "You and Sarah will be safer here. We'll get Clark out, okay?" 

"Just be careful," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his lips and pulling away to gaze at him. 

He touched her face gently, forgetting that several curious pairs of eyes were focused on them.

Oliver coughed quietly. "Let's go... Ghostbuster."

Rolling his eyes, Dean turned to look at Oliver. "What did you call me?"

"It's your code name," he replied, tossing him a vest and headset, then throwing the same towards Sam. 

"And what's mine?" Sam asked with an arched brow, shrugging into the vest. 

Chloe grinned faintly, curious about that as well. 

Oliver looked at Sam carefully. "You look like a college boy... so that's what we're gonna call ya, College Boy."

Dean rolled his eyes. "How original," he murmured, putting on his vest and checking his gun in the waistband of his jeans.

Smiling, Sarah put the earpiece in her ears. "So if Chloe's Watchtower, any guesses as to my code name?" she asked.

A.C. smiled. "You're the Girlfriend," he replied softly. 

Chloe smiled a little. 

"I'm Impulse, by the way," Bart said with a smirk as he finished suiting up. 

"Appropriate," Sam said wryly, casting a glance at Chloe and then his brother. 

"Cyborg," Victor said, stepping forward and nodding at them. 

"What are you, part machine?" Dean asked, getting a hard glare from Victor in response. "Okay, I'll take that as a yes."

"If everyone's ready," Oliver replied, his voice distorted by the mechanical device to hide his identity. "Impulse, go do your thing. We'll follow."

With a smile and a nod, Bart raced off with the speed of light.

"Whoa," Sarah said, a little awed by what she had just witnessed.

"Watchtower, Girlfriend... keep your ears on." 

"Count on it," Chloe said, looking at Oliver as he pulled the hood of his suit up over his head. "Be careful guys. Everyone comes back." She looked at each of them, her gaze lingering on Dean. 

Sam smiled a bit and looked at Sarah. "Be back soon." He kissed her softly on the lips. 

Love you, she told him mentally, lingering over his kiss, even after he had pulled away and followed the rest of the men out the back door.

"Be careful," Dean whispered, grabbing Chloe and kissing her hard, his promise to come back to her buried underneath that action. 

She nodded slightly and watched him follow, leaving her and Sarah alone in the abandoned shop. Swallowing hard, she moved over to the computer screen that had the schematics and surveillance feed from the facility. 

"Am I the only one feeling a little less than helpful?" Sarah asked lightly, moving to where Chloe stood and examining the blueprints of the Luthor plant. 

She drew in a breath and looked at her friend, trying to smile. "No. You're not." 

"Good, cause for a moment there, I thought I might be in trouble." Letting out a breath, Sarah pointed to a large empty space on the third floor. "Oliver thinks Clark might be in this place... here." 

Chloe winced, nodding a little. "No doubt filled with lots of green rocks," she whispered, feeling sick at the thought. 

Sarah put an arm around Chloe and squeezed her gently. "Hey, from what I hear? These guys kick ass... and with our guys with them... well, I know Clark... er, Boy Scout... will be alright."

Almost as if on queue, Bart broke the radio silence. "Security perimeter breached. Full speed ahead, Arrow."

"Roger that, Impulse," Oliver replied from his position. "Watchtower, Girlfriend... what's the 20 to Boy Scout's position?" 

Straightening and forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, she studied the schematic for only a second before responding. "About thirty feet right ahead of you there should be a staircase. Take those to the second floor. But be careful, it's covered by guards," she said, her gaze flickering to the video feed. 

"Got that covered," came Dean's growl over the earpiece. "Me and College Boy have that taken care of." 

A grin spread across her lips and she looked sideways at Sarah, reaching out and grabbing her friend's hand. "All clear to proceed to floor three. Take a left at the next corridor until you see a door marked..." She frowned a little. "21. That'll take you to the next staircase apparently." 

Sarah heard Sam grunt softly after Chloe issued instructions. "Stairs. Got it, Watchtower," he muttered. "Going silent."

"Cyborg, Aquaman," Sarah said, "what's your 20?"

"Right behind Ghostbuster and College Boy," came A.C.'s short response. 

"Impulse, where are you?" Chloe asked, a little concerned that they hadn't heard from Bart in awhile. 

"Listenin' to your sweet voice," Bart responded, knowing Dean was on the other side of the building to kick his ass.

"Impulse, go find your next target," Oliver shot back quickly. 

"What's your position, Ghostbuster?" Chloe asked, pressing her fingers to her earpiece and waiting for Dean's response. 

"Top of the stairs with College Boy," Dean smirked back. There was a long pause. "Where to next?" 

Chloe studied the schematics once more. "All the way to the end of the corridor. It's the last room." She bit her lip, tightening her grip on Sarah's hand without thinking about it. 

"Copy that, Watchtower," was the tense reply, followed by silence again.

Sarah gripped Chloe's hand back. "They're so close," she whispered, staring at the schematics. "It's gonna be okay."

"I beg to differ," came an even, confident voice from behind them. 

Chloe's blood ran cold at the sound of the familiar voice. She slowly turned around to find herself staring at Lex and Lionel Luthor. 

"Well, Chloe Sullivan," Lex stated with a small smirk, putting his hands in his pockets. "You're a long way from home." He eyed Sarah carefully, as if sizing up a new opponent.

Sarah swallowed hard, the butterflies in her stomach growing by leaps and bounds. 

"Indeed, Miss Sullivan, I'm surprised you've wandered so far from the Daily Planet." Lionel studied her with a level gaze. 

"And I suppose the two of you are vacationing in the middle of the desert?" she retorted. 

"As a matter of fact," Lex replied, taking a step towards them, "we were taking a trip around our factories, making inspections. Lucky that we were here at... the right time." He motioned towards the schematics on the computer. 

"I wouldn't count your chickens yet, Lex," Chloe informed him. "And I also wouldn't come any closer." There was a hint of warning in her tone and she kept herself positioned between Sarah and the men. 

Lionel lifted an eyebrow. "Dare I ask why?" 

Sarah took a step forward so she was lined up against Chloe. "Because we're not people you want to cross." Her knees were quaking but she didn't dare show that weakness.

Lex cocked an eyebrow. "Looks like you've got another bodyguard, Chloe," he replied with a confident smirk. 

"I don't need a bodyguard, Lex. I can take care of myself," she told him without hesitation. 

"Girlfriend," Sam said suddenly. "Target acquired. We're on our way out."

Sarah's face turned pale and she snuck a look at Chloe. She didn't dare say anything in response. 

Chloe cursed under her breath, her body tensing a little. She let the barriers drop between her and Sam's mind. _Sam, can you hear me?_

 _Chloe?_ came Sam's worried response. _What's going on? Why isn't Sarah answering me?_

_We're sort of in a situation at the moment. Don't come back here. And don't let the others, either._

_Okay,_ he replied before getting on the headpiece. "There's a situation back at the base camp. We need to find alternate way out."

"Got that taken care of," Cyborg whispered in response. "Go back the way you came in, only take the north exit. It'll get you into the grasses out of sight."

Sarah slowly released that pent up breath but couldn't help but worry more. How were they going to get out of this present mishap with the Luthors?

Moving towards the map, Lex perused the room. "I see you've gone up in the world, Chloe. Impressive," he remarked casually. 

"Well, I live to impress you, Lex," she said with heavy sarcasm, glaring at him. "You must know that by now." 

Lionel smirked and looked at his son before looking back at Chloe. "Who's your friend, Miss Sullivan?" 

"I'm nobody," Sarah replied, gazing at the older Luthor, her eyes glittering. "Who are you?"

Lex chuckled. "She has your spirit. No wonder you two are with these Winchester brothers. I can understand why they have such an importance in the coming war." He turned his cold, empty eyes towards Chloe for her reaction. 

Chloe's face paled. Not only did he know about the guys, but he had some kind of knowledge on the impending war she'd heard Dean mention more than once. "Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed. 

"Oh, you know what I'm taking about," Lex replied smoothly, running a hand over the weapons case. "You know you've got two ticking time bombs sharing your beds."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Sarah demanded harshly, taking a step towards Lex and reaching for her gun, tucked neatly inside her jacket pocket.

"Oh, try it, I dare you," the younger Luthor replied, chuckling as if speaking to a child. 

Chloe beat her to the punch line, pointing her own gun at Lex's head. "Trust me. From here I won't miss," she said, her voice filled with coldness and her eyes matching her tone. 

"Miss Sullivan. I'm surprised. I didn't take you for the violent type," Lionel said with faint amusement in his voice. 

"Shows what you know about me, Mr. Luthor," she responded without looking away from Lex. 

"Funny what you learn when you're on the road with two gun-toting guys," Sarah replied casually, pointing her own gun at the oldest Mr. Luthor.

Lex smirked in response. "So where are they taking Clark, huh? Back to your hotel? Does it really matter now that he's out of the plant?" 

Chloe's jaw tensed, as did her finger. "I could kill you right now and make the world a much better place. I'm sure Lana would agree." She smirked at the dark look that passed over his features, knowing she hit a nerve. 

"What Lana did was her choice, Chloe. Keep your prying ways out of it." His eyes filled briefly with anger and hurt.

Sarah, meanwhile, had started slinking towards the door, always keeping her aim on the older Luthor. She stopped, however, and looked at Chloe, a question in her eyes. 

She nodded at Sarah imperceptibly, not looking away from Lex. "Actually, I think she left you when she found out you were a monster that tortures innocent people for your own sick pleasure." 

"What makes you think pleasure has anything to do with it?" Lex asked cryptically, staring at Chloe, his eyes narrowing with a secret he had no intention of divulging. 

"Because you're a sick bastard," she responded. 

"You think I enjoy testing on people who have special abilities?" Lex questioned, taking a step towards her, his look menacing. "I derive no such happy thoughts from it. But it's necessary. We need troops, people who have... special talents and powers... who can lead the world's greatest army." 

She cocked the gun and kept it level. "Don't come any closer," she said darkly. 

"You think that thing scares me?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly.

"Chloe, come on," Sarah replied, her voice urgently begging her friend to let this go. 

"Pretty sure a bullet wound to the head would kill even _you_." She cast a glance at the computers. If Lex took them, he'd know Oliver was here, too. And she wasn't going to let that happen. 

Sarah watched as Chloe took off for the computers and began trashing them as best she could, removing the hard drives as she went along. Her arm shook slightly but she kept her gun aimed on the Luthors. "Got it?" she asked Chloe loudly. 

"I think so." 

"Who are you protecting, Miss Sullivan?" Lionel asked with raised eyebrows. "Besides Clark Kent." 

A smile twisted her lips. "You'll never know." 

"Come on," Sarah replied, "we need to go." She eyed Lex Luthor and smirked. "Here's hoping I never see your ugly, bald head again."

"Tsk, manners, Ms. Blake," Lex replied smoothly as Chloe brushed by him.

She blinked in surprise, though it didn't have time to register right away. Chloe was already pushing her through the door. 

"Go," she urged, backing out the door while keeping her gun trained on the Luthors. 

"Run while you can, Chloe. One day you'll regret being with those Winchesters," Lex called, watching Chloe and Sarah leave. "They're more dangerous than you know." He looked over at his father, a knowing smirk on his face. 

She paused in her tracks and turned to look at him once more. "There may be a war coming. I know which side we'll be on. But you? Your heart's filled with nothing but darkness and evil. You think you're some big savior. But you're no Clark," she said, her voice quiet, feeling satisfied at the flicker of anger in his eyes at her words. "So you watch your back, Lex. Because your side? Isn't gonna win." She turned and headed away with Sarah quickly. 

Lex and Lionel simply watched them leave, their eyes pensive yet filled with knowledge that might make both young women change their minds.

"Okay, remind me never to piss you off," Sarah muttered, making their way to the Impala, which had been left there. "And how did they know who I was?" 

"Because they're Luthors," she said grimly, unsettled. "They make it their business to know the things you don't want them to." She started the car and threw it into gear, spinning the tires and peeling out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. 

Sarah hadn't heard any radio chatter since the last thing Sam had asked. Putting the earpiece close into her ear, she whispered, "Anyone out there?" When she got silence, she looked at Chloe. "Where did they go?" 

"I don't know," she said grimly, worried. Biting her lower lip, she willed someone to respond. 

_Chloe,_ Sam's voice suddenly called out. _You two okay?_

Before she had a chance to respond a thunderous explosion rocked the Impala and she slammed her foot on the brakes out of instinct. Shell-shocked, she looked at Sarah. 

Holding onto the dashboard for dear life, Sarah looked at Chloe, her friend looking just as white as she knew she did. Her wide, frightened gaze turned to the massive fire and smoke that appeared through the driver's side window. "Oh shit," she whispered, her lower lip trembling just a little bit. "Chloe, it's... they've blown it up...." Sam, she cried mentally. Please...please be okay. 

_Sam, are you all right?_ she asked urgently, grabbing Sarah's arm. _Where are you guys?_

 _Chloe_ , Sam replied, his mental voice laced with fatigue and worry. _We're in a safe place. You two get back to the hotel, pack your bags, and get the hell out of there. Someone'll call you, okay? Tell Sarah I'm okay and to stop worrying about me._

Relaxing but only a little, she loosened her grip and gunned the engine once more. "They're fine. They want us to get our things from the hotel and leave. They'll call us. Sam says stop worrying." 

"Easy for him to say," she replied with a wry smile, her grip on Chloe's arm loosening a little. "He wasn't the one who nearly lost his whole world with that sudden blast." She leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes. 

She knew exactly how Sarah felt. Swallowing hard, she blinked back the tears she felt building, focusing on the road ahead. There'd be time for crying later. 

The trip back to the hotel was hurried, and neither girl wasted any time throwing everyone's stuff together. Within ten minutes, they had the Impala packed up. No one had called Chloe yet, a fact that made Sarah more anxious by the second. 

Chloe gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. Her breathing was ragged as the events of the last couple of days began to settle upon her like a thick choking fog. Lex knew about Clark, he knew about Sam and Dean and Sarah, and he knew something about the coming war between good and evil. There were too many questions and her mind was whirling with all of them at once. 

_Chloe, God, stop it with the thoughts,_ Sam's voice demanded suddenly. _I'm too tired to keep up my mental block and you're making it worse!_

Sarah looked over at her friend. "Chlo?" she asked, her voice small. She didn't know how much longer she could wait for a phone call. 

_Excuse me, my brain doesn't have an off switch, Sam,_ she snapped at him mentally. _Where the hell are you guys? Sarah's worried sick._

She glanced at her friend. "Yeah?" 

"I need your phone. Now." She held out a pale hand. "I can't wait any longer."

However, Chloe's cell suddenly chirped to life. 

She quickly handed it over to Sarah, her head aching as she drove aimlessly. 

"Sam?" Sarah asked anxiously, phone pressed to her ear. 

"Sorry, Sarah, wrong Winchester," Dean replied, a slight chuckle in his throat. "But Sammy's here... and safe, okay? He says you're killing him with the worry." 

She winced a little. "Where are you guys?" 

"In an old abandoned building about three miles south of the former 33.1 plant," he replied carefully. "It's this rickety shack off the side of the road, but it works." He paused, licking his lips. "How's Chloe?" he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. 

"Freaked out," she responded without hesitation, glancing sideways at Chloe and seeing the girl's pale face. She wondered just how much Sam might have picked up on from what happened at the shop with the Luthor's. 

"Fuck," he replied, running a hand through his hair. "Look, tell her where we are, okay? Clark's fine, by the way. Snapped out of it the second we got him away from the meteor rock stuff."

"Dean says they're okay, he's fine, Clark's fine, and they're in an abandoned building a few miles up the road," Sarah repeated to Chloe quickly, trying to put her friend at ease a little. 

Nodding slightly, she kept her eyes focused intently on the road, pressing her foot to the gas peddle and zooming toward the building.

"Hey, I heard that," Dean retorted over the phone. "Tell Chloe to get here without breaking the sound barrier, okay?" His voice was filled with relief and the satisfaction of having blown something up that would have made their lives more difficult. 

"Will do. We'll be there in, oh...two minutes at his rate." Sarah fastened her seatbelt. 

"Good." He glanced at his brother and smiled faintly. He hung up without waiting for a response.

Sarah leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes. She was silent for a moment and put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Dean sounds like a kid in a candy store," she remarked wryly, seeing the building in question quickly approaching. 

"Well he just blew up a building so I exhibit no surprise," she answered, rolling her eyes. 

She sighed. "I'm just glad this part's over... even though..." She stopped, unsure for a moment how to continue. "Chloe, what did Lex mean by a war coming and us being on the wrong side?" 

Chloe was silent for a moment, putting up the barriers between her mind and Sam's. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. 

"I know it had something to do with Sam's powers," she replied softly, lost in thought. "How much you wanna bet he was trying to convince us Sam's evil, and by that standard, so is Dean?" She would have said more, but she saw the Winchester boys standing out in front of the building, seemingly impatient for their arrival. 

"The day I believe one word that comes out of either Luthors' mouths will be the day I throw myself in front of a moving train." 

Sarah smirked at Chloe's words but her eyes fixed on Sam's form, relief flooding her being like nothing she had ever felt before. "We both know that day's not gonna happen," she whispered, her hand already on the door handle to get out when they parked. 

"That's my point." She smiled faintly before climbing out of the driver's side. 

Dean met her halfway, grabbing her body and slamming her against him, wrapping her in a warm, possessive hug. "God, you're in one piece," he muttered against her hair, inhaling her scent and letting it drift over him. 

Shuddering against him, she held onto him just as tightly, pressing her face against his neck, unable to speak. 

A few feet away, Sam embraced Sarah in a similarly urgent fashion. "You okay?" He pressed a kiss to her forehead, stroking her hair gently. 

Sarah stifled a sob, content for the moment to be in Sam's arms, held like he had no intention of letting her go. Standing on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.

Dean's arms tightened around Chloe, feeling her shivering. "Hey, hey... didn't I tell you I'd come back?" 

She pulled away enough to look at him, her green eyes more troubled than he'd ever seen them before. "We need to get everyone out of here." 

"The rest of them are already gone," Dean replied, his voice even. "Ollie called his chopper, and they've all flown to Las Vegas, not too far from here. We leave now, we can get there by nightfall and meet up with them. How's that sound?" He brushed her hair out of her face. 

Nodding a little, she shut her eyes and wound her arms around his neck once more, pressing her lips to his cheek. 

Sam slowly pulled away from Sarah to gaze at her. "You're sure you're okay?" 

Sarah's response was to pull his face to hers and kiss him on his full mouth, showing him her utter relief at seeing him alive and in one piece.

Meanwhile, Dean leaned into Chloe's kiss, threading his fingers through her hair. "Can we hold that thought, Chloe? Finish that tonight, maybe?" He had a wicked glint in his eyes, his voice almost giddy with anticipation. 

She managed to muster a faint smile. "Let's get outta here." 

Grabbing her hands, Dean kissed her quickly before pulling her towards the Impala. "Sammy! Kiss Sarah in the car!"

Sarah pulled away from Sam and glared at Dean. "One of these days, Sam's gonna beat you into next week... and I'm gonna laugh my ass off when that happens." She winked at Sam and took his hand. They got into the back seat and buckled themselves in. 

Chloe chewed on her lower lip as she made her way to the passenger seat of the car. 

Roaring the Impala to life, Dean threw her into gear and sped off towards Vegas. He took Chloe's hand and held it the entire ride there, because he knew... he knew she was a lot more shaken up than she admitted. Deep down inside, he was just as shaken up, too. And while he got a modicum of relief to see Sam and Sarah curled up against each other, taking refuge in each other, he knew his time with Chloe would have to wait... until after she saw Clark Kent. 

&&&&&

Chloe raised her eyebrows as Dean guided the Impala down the main street in Vegas, bright lights flashing everywhere. She'd been in plenty of big cities in her life, but none of them were like this. The place was jumping with excitement that shone on the faces of everyone around and a faint smile tugged at her lips as she found it a big contagious. "Whoa," she murmured, looking up at Caesar’s Palace. "Leave it to Ollie." 

Dean snorted. "Who knew that guy was filthy freaking rich?" Deep down, though, he was jealous as hell. He and Sam had spent their entire lives hunting, scraping by, living out of hotels... not getting paid for it and therefore unable to provide for any kind of future. Assuming he had one, he thought with a frown.

Sarah woke up suddenly, having spent the last couple hours snoozing in Sam's arms. "We in Vegas yet?" she asked groggily before staring out the window. Her eyes grew wide. "Yeah, I'd say we are. Wow." 

Chloe grinned at her reaction, amused at how similar their reactions were. 

Sam smiled at Sarah and placed a soft kiss to her forehead, gazing out the window. "Dean, how is it we've been all over the place but never been to Vegas before?" he wondered aloud. 

Pulling into the Caesar's Palace valet parking, he grumbled, "Hell if I know, Sam. First time for everything, though." He shooed the valet away, insisting to park the Impala himself.

Getting out, Sarah looked around at all the bright lights and smiled. "I bet you can get into all kinds of trouble here." She glanced at Chloe and winked at her. 

Chloe grinned as she climbed out of the passenger seat. "Pretty sure you're right about that." She winked back, casting a glance in Dean's direction. 

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Don't you two think we're in trouble enough as it is?" he teased, sliding his fingers through Sarah's. 

Squeezing his hand gently, she gazed into Sam's eyes and grinned. "Don't think there's any such thing as too much trouble." She glanced at the valets unpacking the trunk and briefly worried about whether they would access the back panel of the trunk.

"Really, I'll drive it myself," Dean protested, giving Chloe a side smile and a wink. "Won't be a moment, guys." Once everyone was out, Dean sped off to park the car. 

Chloe looked up at the hotel/casino and grinned. "How much you wanna bet Oliver managed to finagle the penthouse suite?" 

Sarah smirked. "If he's as rich as you said, then all bets are off." She and Sam followed Chloe into the front lobby, where the man himself stood there, hands in his pockets, smiling triumphantly.

"Glad to see our mission eyes didn't fall," Oliver replied, giving Chloe a friendly hug. 

She hugged him back quickly. "How is everyone? Any injuries?" she asked worriedly. 

"Aside from Arthur's bruised ego that he didn't get the girl?" he asked, glancing at Sarah knowingly. "No, thankfully." 

Sam smirked and slid his arm around Sarah's waist, pulling her closer to him. 

"Good. Where is everyone else?" She gazed at him intently, needing to see Clark with her own eyes. 

Oliver saw Dean stride through the lobby doors and smirked. "Follow me, I'll show you." He nodded to the concierge, who told the bellmen to follow Mr. Queen.

Dean, a little breathless, caught up to Chloe and put his hand through hers. "He taking us upstairs to see everyone?" 

She nodded a little, clutching onto his hand tightly. She couldn't help feeling nervous as she followed Ollie and Sarah and Sam to the elevator. The noise from the casino was buzzing and once again, for a brief moment, she felt the contagious sense of giddiness that seemed to permeate the air. 

Dean smiled, feeling Chloe's hand tightly wound in his. "Hey, think we can do some gambling and get rich quick while we're here?" he whispered in her ear. 

She smirked and looked at him. "Somehow I don't think even you can hustle a slot machine," she teased. 

"Who said anything about the slots?" he replied, raising his brows. "Sam there's a master card player." A large elevator yawned open and they stepped inside.

"So I took the liberty of getting you guys rooms," Oliver commented lightly, pressing the penthouse button and swiping his access card.

Sarah looked at Chloe knowingly. 

She grinned. "Thanks, Ollie." 

Sam shook his head slightly in amusement. He wondered what exactly Chloe's history was with their new-found arrow-shooting friend. 

When they reached the penthouse and the doors slid open, Oliver informed the bellmen to show the ladies and gentlemen to their rooms. "So let's meet in about thirty minutes?" he said, looking at his watch. "I know you're gonna want to see Clark." He looked pointedly at Chloe. 

She nodded, her green eyes still troubled as she headed for the large room Ollie had reserved for her and Dean, watching Sam and Sarah head for the room across the hall. 

Dean walked through the open door, turned, and waited for Chloe to come in. "Come on," he replied, holding out his hand. "I don't bite... hard." He smirked at the look she gave him. 

She slid her hand into his once more and stepped into the room. "I already knew that," she informed him with a smirk. 

He led her inside and shut the door. Ignoring the hotel help putting their things away, he muttered, "Just trying to keep things light." He knew she was impatient to see Clark, to make sure he was okay. What he was afraid of was how she'd react when she found out what the Luthors had done to him. 

"I know you are." Her voice was soft and she slid her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest. 

Kissing the top of her head, he wrapped his arms around her and held her, saying nothing in return. He knew Chloe loved him and only wanted to be with him, but facing the person you had loved first... well... that was so hard, he thought. He heard a light cough and found the bellmen were finished. And their hands were held out. With a irritated sigh, he handed them some cash for their trouble to get rid of them. 

She stifled a smile at his annoyance and watched the men leave, pulling the door shut behind them. She turned to look at Dean again, amusement in her eyes. 

He smirked at the look on her face. "What, it's not like I have money growing out of my pockets," he grumbled, sitting down on the large king-sized bed in their room. 

She sat down on his lap, gazing at him as she sensed his insecurities rise to the surface. "And I couldn't care less." 

"Good thing," he retorted, squeezing her to him and burying his head into her chest. "Not like I make any money doing this... or will live a long time to tell the tale." 

"Hey." Her voice was sharp and she gazed at him intently. "Don't say that." 

He pulled back but didn't look at her. "Why not? It's the truth, Chloe. Sam and I, we live pretty violently... makes for a short lifespan." He looked down, kissing her arm gently. He knew this was going to piss her off, but better she know the truth. 

Chloe's jaw tightened. "Then you better do everything in your power to make sure you're both the exception to the rule. Because I will find some way to bring you back," she said dead seriously. 

"Knowing you and Sarah, you two have probably already found a way to do that," he muttered with a small smile. "We've done okay for ourselves, actually. The scariest part is... keeping you two women safe." 

Now she was annoyed. She pulled away and gave him a look. "Sarah and I are capable of taking pretty good care of ourselves, Dean." 

He chuckled. "Don't I know it?" he replied with a smirk, recalling their troubles in New Orleans and New Iberia. "And Sam and I are damn lucky to have you two... but give us the credit of staying manly and wanting to keep our women safe." He smiled at her, teasing her a little bit. 

She relaxed a bit, choosing not to tell him about the Luthor's showing up at the abandoned shop just hours before. "Just so long as you remember we'd like our men to come home safe, too," she said quietly. 

"We did, Chloe," Dean replied, his face serious once again. "We always do, okay? Just know that... it might happen." Sighing, he stood them both up. "In the meantime, you want to see Clark." 

She kissed him softly, sighing inwardly and feeling a knot tighten in her stomach once more. 

Taking her hand in his, Dean nodded to the door. His heart felt heavy as he led her next door, to a very large room where the Justice Leaguers sat, including Clark Kent himself. Sarah and Sam were already out there: Sam looked fierce in his determination to keep Sarah from the rest of the men, because he had her squished against him. She didn't seem upset, however.

Seeing Chloe and Dean walk in, Clark coughed slightly and mustered a smile. "Hey, Chlo," he whispered hoarsely. 

Her eyes instantly locked on Clark's and her face paled a little at the sound of his voice. "What did they do to you?" she whispered, horrified. 

Struggling to stand, he looked around the room before locking eyes on Chloe. "Can we, uh... talk in private?" he asked. 

She let go of Dean's hand and moved to Clark's side, sliding an arm around his waist to help support him. "Come on." 

Despite her promises, Dean watched Chloe take Clark's body and lean it against hers with a very heavy heart. He didn't allow it to show on his face, however, as he looked around the room at the other men. Only Sam noticed the glint of despair as he watched them leave the room.

"How are you?" Clark whispered, moving into the other living room and sitting on the couch. "How are you here?" 

"You should lie down, Clark," she whispered back, worry in her green eyes. When he'd done so, she disappeared into the bathroom to get a wet wash cloth, which she returned with and gently draped over his forehead. 

He smiled weakly. "Guess I know what it's like to be human," he chuckled, the laughter not meeting his eyes. He saw the concern in her eyes and touched her hand. "I'm fine, Chloe. Really. Just give it a day or two for the effects to... wear off." 

"What did they do to you, Clark?" She felt sick to her stomach as she rested her other hand on top of his. 

He closed his eyes for a long moment, trying to block out the memory of the last thirty-six hours. "Tests... with kryptonite," he muttered finally. 

Chloe winced, tears stinging her eyes. "Clark, I'm so sorry," she whispered. They should have gotten him out sooner. If she'd been around when they'd gone on this mission to start with, he may never have gotten hurt. 

"Don't... start in on the self-bashing," he whispered, pulling himself up to sit. "It's all my fault. Should've listened to Oliver when he told me not to go inside... alone." 

"Yes. you should have," she agreed softly, moving to sit beside him. "What were you thinking, Clark?" 

He frowned. "Not a good time to beat me up," he muttered. "I just wanted to find out what was in that lab." 

She sighed softly, her nerves frayed from the last few days. "Are you sure you're gonna be all right?" she asked in concern. 

He smiled faintly. "Yeah, no worries. Oliver's created some serum to the stuff they injected in me... works like a charm, as they say." His smile faded and he looked at her evenly. "Probably not a good idea to be in here alone with me," he stated, giving her a knowing look. 

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well unless you plan to go psycho on me..." Her voice trailed off as she realized what he meant. "Oh. He'll be fine. He knows he's got nothing to worry about." 

"Wouldn't be too sure about that," he replied with a small smirk. 

She sighed softly and gazed at him. "Well, I'll make sure he knows it later." She smirked back. 

Clark laughed, feeling a little better. "I'm glad to see you, Chloe," he whispered, "even though you could've gotten yourself killed." 

"Oh, like that's ever deterred me from anything," she teased. 

"Don't I know it. Chlo... this facility... there a lot more of them... and as soon as I'm better, we're all taking off." 

"I know." Her voice grew quiet and she looked at the floor. 

"And there's more..." He started but noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Oliver had walked into the room.

"They all should know," he stated, looking at the two on the couch.

Clark looked back at his friend and nodded. "We all need to talk. Can we get back into the main room?" he asked. 

Feeling uneasy, Chloe looked from Clark to Oliver and back again. "And suddenly I feel like it's about to get much worse," she said under her breath. She helped Clark stand once more. 

Oliver stepped back to let Chloe and Clark walk out into the main room, where they faced a lot of long, serious faces. Oliver waited until Clark was seated before beginning. "So, according to what Victor got from the lab's database, there are several more of 33.1 buildings around the world. This we know. However, what we didn't know why Luthor was creating this army."

"But you have that info now?" Dean asked, moving beside Chloe with flat eyes. 

She slid her hand into his without even thinking about it, shooting a look at Sarah, worry in her eyes. 

"Yes we do," Victor replied, taking a step forward. "He's making an army of people who have... unique... abilities." He glanced around the room at the others, his look serious.

Sarah leaned forward, her hair falling in front of her face. "What's this army for?" she asked, smoothing her hair back impatiently. 

Sam caught the look that Chloe shot in Sarah's direction and his eyebrows furrowed. He got the distinct impression there was something they hadn't let him and Dean in on. 

"An upcoming war," A.C. said grimly. "Battle of all battles between good and evil." 

Sarah looked sharply at A.C. "Good and evil?" she replied, not comprehending the full extent of what they were saying.

"Luthor's funding the soldiers for the army, but he's working for someone," Oliver continued.

That peaked Dean's curiosity. "Who's funding this?" he asked harshly. "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" He looked around at the other men, his anger beginning to get the better of him. 

"Wait, you're saying Lex Luthor is working for someone else?" Chloe asked in disbelief, staring at Ollie like he'd grown a second. 

"I don't know much about the guy but that doesn't really seem his style," Sam agreed, his eyebrows furrowing once more. 

"Not exactly a someone," Bart cut in. 

Dean got very still suddenly and stared at Bart. "Shit," he whispered to himself. He looked over at Sam, his eyes filled with the horror of his thoughts. "We're talking about a something, aren't we?" he asked out loud, never taking his eyes off his brother.

A.C. and Oliver looked at each other, saying nothing. They simply nodded instead. 

Chloe felt sick dread take hold of her as the pieces began to fit together in her mind, completing the puzzle. "The demon," she murmured, slowly rising to her feet. 

Sam's face paled. "No. No." He stood up as well, shaking his head. 

"Mother fucker," Dean muttered, shoving a hand through his hair. He looked at Sam, Chloe, and Sarah. "We need to talk. Now." He strode out of the room and towards his and Chloe's room.

Sarah looked at Sam and then at Dean, more than a little shocked at what she was hearing. Silently, she followed Sam's brother. 

Looking shell-shocked and half sick, Sam slowly followed, his mind whirling with questions and fears. 

Chloe shut her eyes for a moment and drew in a breath to steady herself. "We'll be back," she murmured to the others as she headed for the door. 

He waited until all four of them were safely behind closed doors before erupting into his anger. "It's the yellow-eyed demon," he stated outright. He looked at Sam. "You know that thing's capable of anything." 

"I know," Sam muttered, a pained expression on his face. He moved to sit down on the sofa, folding his hands together and looking at the floor. 

Sarah's face paled, her mind frantically working to find a solution. "Oh God," she whispered. "The thing that killed your parents... and your girlfriend." She glanced at Sam briefly, squeezing his hand.

Dean nodded, turning to stare at Chloe. "We're so screwed," he whispered, sitting down on the bed hard. 

She began to pace the floor slowly, chewing on her thumbnails as the gears in her head turned over and over. "Not necessarily." Her voice was quiet. 

"Oh no?" he asked, watching her pace the floor. "Chloe, you've never seen this thing, okay? You can't kill it. Dad had a gun, a Colt, that could kill anything, but it disappeared when he died..." His eyes grew wide and he stared at his brother. Dude, he thought. That thing has the Colt. 

Sam winced at the thought that came through loud and clear. "I know, Dean." He rubbed his forehead, shutting his eyes and feeling something between panic and anger boiling within him. 

"If Lex is working for this demon, it means he knows how to find it. He may know its weaknesses." Chloe turned to look at Dean. 

"Its only weakness is the Colt, Chloe," he stated, balling his fists and grabbing onto the comforter to keep from hitting something.

Sarah looked at Sam and put her head on his shoulder. "Chloe's got a point, you know," she whispered softly. "And I kinda like the idea of kidnapping Lex and torturing him until he talks." 

He slid his arms around her, pulling her closer, his eyes stormy. 

"You know that for one hundred percent fact?" Chloe asked him quietly, gazing at Dean intently. 

"Yes." Dean looked at Chloe. "One hundred percent, no questions asked. Dad's journal was clear on that... Dad." He stopped and thought about his father, the man who had given his life to killing this thing, only to have it take his life instead. "Maybe Dad's wrong," he said finally. 

She bit her lower lip, feeling his anger and fear as if it were her own. "Torturing Lex isn't going to work," she told Sarah softly. "He's deemed himself savior of the universe and he thinks he's on the side of good. We could torture him to death and it won't make him talk." 

"I know," she replied with a wry smile. "I liked the sound of it, though. Besides, both he and his father look like they've walked through Hell itself and come out unscathed." She spoke before she thought, so she didn't notice the look that Sam and Dean gave her.

Dean's eyes narrowed in frustration. "How do you know what Lex's father looks like, Sarah?" His voice broke under the stress of this latest piece of information. 

Chloe winced but recovered quickly. "The Luthors paid us a visit while you guys were rescuing Clark," she confessed, not meeting his eyes or Sam's. 

"What?" Sam asked in alarm, starting at her in shock for a moment before turning his gaze to Sarah. 

Sarah winced. "Don't give me that look, Sam Winchester," she demanded, looking into his eyes and fuming. "You had no qualms about going into the lion's den and leaving me to wonder if you'd come out alive or not. Chloe and I survived and got through it." She glanced at Chloe. "They didn't look the type to do their own torture, anyway."

"That's not the point, dammit," Dean replied, his voice low and threatening. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?" His gaze shifted between the girls, who both looked a little indignant. 

"Because it wasn't as important as getting the hell out of there and getting everyone to safety," Chloe answered, meeting his glare with one of her own. 

Sam let out a breath, having the feeling things were about to turn very heated between his brother and Chloe. 

"Were you planning on telling us?" he retorted hotly, feeling a little faint-headed suddenly from the punch he'd been given. "I know you and Sarah are more than capable of taking care of yourselves, but not telling Sam and me..." His voice trailed off because he had no words to convey his hurt. Why did it take this for them to open up? 

Sam gazed at Chloe, feeling equally confused as to why neither of them had said a word about the encounter with the Luthors. 

She gazed at Dean. "Yeah, we were going to tell you. It just...hadn't come up yet." 

She was holding something back, Sam realized. And he didn't have to read her mind to know it. 

Sarah looked down and cringed again. She felt Dean's anger and Sam's confusion radiate from them, threatening to swallow her whole. She knew Chloe was holding something back, but there was no way she was going to open her mouth again.

"That's bullshit," Dean said, pointing at her, "and you know it. We were in the car for three hours, and one of you could have said something." He glanced at Sam.

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me for being a little freaked out after having thought the majority of people I cared about had blown up!" 

Suddenly, Dean was tired. Thought about that short future he and Chloe had just spoke of and sighed. "Alright, so what's next? Sam can read minds, so why not get him close enough to Luthor to read it?" 

"No," she said without hesitation, folding her arms across his chest. "We need to keep Sam as far away from the Luthors as possible." She turned to look out the window, staring out at the brightly lit city despite the nighttime hours. 

"This city seems like a good a place as any to hide him out for awhile," Sarah whispered, not looking at anyone. "No one knows we're in town. We all have our fake ID's... and probably Oliver used false names to reserve these rooms."

Dean looked towards Chloe, who didn't turn around at her suggestion. "These are Luthors we're talking about, though, Sarah. I think they have their ways of finding out these things." 

"They wouldn't try something in a city this crowded," she answered quietly, leaning her forehead against the glass window pane. "They're not stupid." Unfortunately for us. She shut her eyes tightly. 

Sam looked at Sarah and pulled her a little closer. "I agree. Let's stay here for awhile. Figure out our next move." 

Leaning into Sam's warmth, Sarah sighed a little. "Sound like we've got our work cut out for us," she replied.

Dean moved to Chloe and put his arms around her, pulling her back against him. "Hey, you'll tell us what we need to know and we'll move on," he whispered in her ear. 

"What do you wanna know?" she asked almost inaudibly, covering his arms with her own. 

"Everything. Their business connections, what they're into... how the hell they could make a deal with the Devil and not blink an eye." His tone was light, even though his words were dead-pan serious. 

"There's no end to the extent of their connections, Dean," Chloe said quietly. "They've got a hand in everything. Every single facet of life you can imagine. They're ruthless and power hungry. The demon probably agreed to...give them immortality in exchange for help." 

Sam shut his eyes, swallowing hard. 

Sarah put her arms around Sam's waist and buried her face in his chest. Wonderful, she thought. Nothing like overwhelming evil walking the earth forever.

"It probably has," he agreed, turning her around and looking her in the eyes. "And if these two don't live up to their end of the bargain, there'll be hell to pay." 

Chloe gazed at him intently. "I know the Luthors. Come hell or high water, they get what they want." A faint smirk touched her lips. "Most of the time anyway." 

"I think... should we share this information with the guys out there?" Sarah asked softly, her face still in Sam's shirt. 

Sam let out a breath, shutting his eyes. The thought of the others knowing their family history, knowing about him made him uneasy. 

"It's up to you guys. This demon's personal for you." Chloe was quiet for a moment, looking from Dean to Sam and back again. "But I honestly think they could help." 

Dean looked at his brother. He didn't like the idea of them knowing about Sam, his abilities, that he might be a fallen angel or a demon, whatever... "Frankly, even if they were told, I doubt they'd believe it," he replied carefully, staring at Sam. "Don't like the thought of them knowing more than they should, though." 

Chloe bit her lip, nodding very slightly. "All right. We won't tell them any specifics about your parents. Or Sam." She let out a breath, the spark of an idea igniting in the back of her mind. "But we do have to tell them about the demon. If Lex is working for it, and they're going after 33.1's, they need to know what they're up against." 

Dean glanced at Chloe and nodded. "Agreed. They're on our side, and we need all the help we can get." He looked back at his brother. "Sam, your thoughts, dude?" 

He nodded slightly, one hand resting against the back of Sarah's head as he looked back at Dean. "Only what they need to know," he agreed. He slid his arms around his girlfriend and rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Sarah's exhausted and so am I. We're gonna go get some sleep." 

Dean nodded. "Shuteye sounds good. You two get some sleep." He smirked knowingly at them.

"Stop that, Dean," Sarah retorted, giving him a look before glancing at Chloe. "Think you can work on him keeping his nose out of our business?" she asked her friend with a tired smile. 

Chloe smacked Dean's arm lightly and flashed Sarah a smile. "I'm sure I can get him under control somehow." 

Sam snorted and moved toward the door, keeping an arm around Sarah. 

Dean rubbed the place on his arm mockingly. "Ow, that hurt," he complained, watching his brother leave the room, his arm firmly around Sarah. "Did I mention I'm grateful for kicking Sam in the ass?" 

She smiled at him. "Glad to oblige. Come on. We need to talk to the others." She headed for the door. 

Dean pulled on her arm, stopping her movement. "No, I'm really... *really*... happy about that," he whispered, giving her a quick kiss before letting her lead him out the door and into the other room. 

She knocked on the door to the Penthouse, taking a deep breath and waiting for someone to answer. She smiled as Bart opened the door. 

"Hey," he said, grinning at her. 

"Can we come in?" 

"You're welcome any time." He stepped aside, ignoring the dirty look Dean shot at him. 

"If you weren't so damn fast, I'd kick your butt," Dean retorted, practically fuming at Bart's flirtatious smile in Chloe's direction.

"Everything okay?" Oliver asked, noticing only Chloe and Dean came back. 

"Sam and Sarah were tired," she explained, glancing at Dean. 

"Understandable," A.C. said, moving to sit on the sofa, looking up at them. 

"So what's going on, Chloelicious?" Bart asked with a grin. 

Dean rolled his eyes. "Can I duct tape his mouth shut?" he asked, looking at Oliver.

The blonde-haired millionaire just smiled. "Bart's got a good question, Chloe. What's going on?" 

She smiled faintly at Bart, shaking her head with faint amusement at his flirting. He was a cute kid. She grew serious as she looked back at Oliver. "We know a little about the demon Lex is working for." 

"It's really a demon?" A.C. asked, a little stupefied. 

"Yeah. It really is," she said quietly. 

Dean cleared his throat. "It's something my brother and I have been hunting for... awhile. Harder than hell to kill. It can possess anyone and it kills at random." He looked at Oliver and the rest of the team before settling his eyes on Clark. "I don't think it can die, actually." 

"Great," Clark said, letting out a breath and shifting his gaze to Chloe. 

"All I'm saying, guys, is be careful." Dean looked around the room and saw the long, serious faces.

"How do we know if we've come across it?" Victor said in a terse voice.

"Its eyes glow yellow," Dean replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "It leaves traces of sulfur behind, too." 

Chloe let out a breath, looking down at the floor. "Oliver, can I speak with you in private?" she asked quietly. 

"Of course," he replied, following her into the other room. Once in there, he crossed his arms. "Okay, Chloe, tell me what's on your mind." 

"I need a favor," she said softly, not meeting his eyes. 

"Name it." 

A faint smile graced her lips. "This whole thing with the Luthors..." She paused. "There's something you don't know about my mother. She's in an institution in Topeka." She lifted her gaze to his face, seeing the faint surprise register there. 

"What kind of institution?" he asked softly, surprised she had confessed this to him. 

"A mental institution," she admitted quietly. 

Oliver's eyes remained on the solemn blonde. "I'm sorry to hear that," he replied, his voice soothing. "How can I help her?" 

"You can't. The doctors say there's nothing that can be done. But..." She bit her lower lip. "Right now she's not in the safest location." 

"Not with the Luthors on a rampage after you," he replied. "Chances are, they'll be after not only her but also..." He thought momentarily of Lois but put her out of his thoughts. 

"My father. Lois. Lana." Her voice was quiet and she looked at the floor. 

"I'll find a safe place for your mother, and the rest of your loved ones if need be." 

"Thank you." She gazed at him. 

Glancing at her boyfriend, Oliver smiled. "I think someone's looking for you," he replied with a small, sad smirk. "You're welcome, Watchtower." 

Chloe managed a faint smile and moved past him into the main room once more. 

Dean had been watching Chloe and Oliver talk, his eyes anxious. Not out of jealousy but concern. "Hey," he replied, moving towards her, "you alright?" 

"Yeah." She slid her fingers through his. "I'll tell you later," she whispered into his ear. 

Dean simply smiled.

"Well, I think we all need some sleep," Oliver announced to the rest of the group. "Either that or we hit the gambling tables."

A.C. smiled brightly. "Oh, it's on with the roulette tables." 

"Hell yeah," Bart said with a grin. 

"Count me out," Victor said, shaking his head. 

"Yeah me too," Clark agreed, still pale and looking worn down. 

"I'm calling it a day, too," Oliver replied, giving Chloe a knowing look.

Dean turned to Chloe. "Gambling or sleep?" 

"Sleep. Definitely sleep," she said with a yawn. 

He squeezed her gently. "Alright, then." He smiled cordially at the rest of the room. "When you guys heading out?"

"Probably when Kent's feeling well again," Oliver replied, "which should be in... another twelve hours. Don't worry, though. I've got the entire penthouse floor reserved for the next week so you guys can stay. Relax. Recoup?" 

Chloe flashed him a grin. "Much appreciated." 

He nodded. "Sleep well." Oliver chuckled and headed for his own room, knowing he had a lot of work to do.

Dean watched A.C. and Bart leave the penthouse floor for the gambling tables, Victor for his own room. "Need a moment to say goodbye?" he whispered in Chloe's ear, looking at Clark. 

"If you don't mind." Her voice was soft. 

He kissed her gently and turned, nodding to Clark before heading back to their room.

Clark shifted on the couch. "So, you guys gonna hang around?" 

"Yeah. We could all use a break." She gazed at him. 

He nodded, standing up to his full height. "You've... found a good man in Dean Winchester." He moved to her and hugged her gently. 

"I know." She smiled and hugged him back and pulled away to look up at him. 

"This time, keep in touch, okay?" he said, stepping back and looking down at her. 

"Count on it. I have a feeling we'll be running into each other more than I originally thought." 

"That would be good. Think maybe Dean will learn to like me?" Clark teased gently. 

"Stranger things have happened," she said with a small smile. 

Smiling, he nodded. "Take care, Chlo." With that, Clark Kent left the room and headed off to sleep. 

"You too, Clark," she said softly, watching him go before she turned and headed out of the suite and toward her shared room with Dean.


End file.
